Ancient History
by akili
Summary: Nyota Uhura delves into her family history to discover her roots and a name for her baby. She finds out that she's not the only Uhura who had a taste for Vulcan company and that her grandfather had a greater connection to her life than imagined. Post STXI
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own star trek or any of its associated content.

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While Nyota was visiting her father just before the baby was born, he told her that the house on the edges of Nairobi had finally sold. He pointed out a pile of boxes that stood out against the cleanliness of his own recently purchased house in San Francisco and explained that he had found a bunch of old things that had been relegated to a dusty storage shed behind their posh suburban home.

"What sort of stuff Baba?" Nyota asked Kiano absently as she stretched.

"Stuff from your grandmother mostly. Lots of things from when your granddad was alive."

Nyota knew that her grandfather had died shortly after Kiano had met her mother, several years before she was born. She'd grown up with stories of his bravery during the Earth-Romulus war. Charles Abasi Uhura had been an archivist that worked for the Federal Archives of the United States of Africa; however, he started his career in a more exciting way, leading a Vulcan ship into a fight at the Battle of Cheron during the Earth-Romulus War. Nyota loved hearing stories of her grandfather's courage and skill when she was a little girl. It had been what drove her to join Starfleet. Nyota slid her hand over her belly.

"Baba, do you mind if I look through some of it? I'd love to have something of babu's for the little one." Nyota looked somewhat distant whenever she spoke about the baby.

"Of course." Kiano said as he walked toward the boxes. He inspected the boxes for a few seconds and seemed to settle on the one he wanted. He hefted to his coffee table and set it down. "This is your babu's box of old awards from the war. He was a quiet man, you know, but he really treasured these old trinkets. He treasured the people that surrounded them." Kiano looked at his daughter, her face glowing more than usual, and wished that her grandfather had lived to meet her. Kiano often thought that he saw much of his father flowing through Nyota. "You can have Spock carry this back to the transporter sight.

"Oh, great." Nyota sat down again and awkwardly tried to find a comfortable position on her father's couch. They sat and talked for a few hours about interesting things that were occurring at his job. Kiano worked in intelligence after a long career in politics and the new challenges of the position made Kiano seem to be even livelier.

Eventually, Spock came to accompany Nyota back to the ship. She hugged her father goodbye and Spock took the box in his hands, eying Nyota and Kiano skeptically. Nyota explained that she might find something interesting in the box that she could share with the baby. Nyota had been thinking a great deal about history and wanted her child to have a strong sense of who she was on both sides of her family. Nyota also secretly hoped that the contents of the box might help her think of an appropriate name. She had been stumped and Spock's suggestions had not been helping. Perhaps the box would hold the name of a comrade about the ship or an old forgotten friend.

When they got back aboard the Enterprise, the box languished in closet for weeks until Dr. McCoy ordered Nyota, who's Human body was not taking the extended Vulcan gestation period particularly well, onto bed rest. Nyota had no desire to be confined to the quarters that she shared with Spock and protested that she would be fine to work with some slight accommodation.

"Uhura," McCoy looked at her chart on the PADD. "The stress is going to start to affect the baby if you don't stop being an overachiever. Your body is barely able to maintain the pregnancy as it is. I've had to figure out a way to make sure your placenta doesn't dry up and that your cervix doesn't start to dilate. Your body desperately wants a nine month gestation and the baby needs longer. The Vulcan DNA is winning out on her needs Uhura. She may be three parts Human but her in-utero development is all Vulcan." McCoy sighed. "I know it isn't what you want, but it'll be the best for both of you Uhura. Trust me."

"But I feel fine Len. I'm a little uncomfortable but that's just how it goes right?" Nyota tried to reason with him. "I promise that I will stop working just as soon as anything starts to feel unusual."

"You are being illogical Nyota." Spock had been delayed with an emergency in engineering. Spock strode up behind McCoy. "Even among Humans your body is below average size. It is highly unlikely that it will be able to continue to support the ongoing needs of a Vulcan fetus, especially if you use the majority of your energy stores in the often stressful environment of the bridge. Our child is presently engaged in her natal telepathic development. Insisting upon continuing work at this stage is beyond illogical Nyota." Spock's face was still but she could sense his concern through their mind meld. Spock was very serious. He rarely called her illogical and he never did so in front of other people.

Both Spock and McCoy enumerated the reasons that Nyota should take rest. They unified in their rejection of her arguments for her continued work. Finally, McCoy declared the argument over. He told Nyota that she would be on bed rest from that day forward until there was clearance from him to change it. She was not to exert herself for the duration of the pregnancy. Nyota looked at Spock for back up against McCoy's stern conclusion but she got no support. Nyota hung her head when she realized, outnumbered by Spock and McCoy, she'd lost the argument.

Stuck in their cabin for the final five weeks of her pregnancy Nyota grew restless quickly. She caught up on all of the projects that she could from her bed, a PADD in hand. She moved to the armchair that she had received from her father in law and caught up on academic journals. Both tasks only took her nine hours. Nyota damned her own efficiency when she realized she had nothing else productive to do to fill the time. She eventually wandered to the bridge out of boredom. When she saw that Spock was not in the immediate vicinity she was able to talk her replacement, Junior Lieutenant Pablo Garza, into taking a break while she looked everything over. She was happily reviewing the nine hours of communications that she had missed when Spock appeared behind her and told her to leave the bridge.

"Lieutenant Uhura, may I remind you that we have received orders from the Chief Medical Officer that indicate that you are not meant to leave your quarters without his approval? It would be a breach of authority to allow you to remain aboard the bridge." Spock said calmly. Nyota could see everyone leaning in their direction, straining to hear.

"I'm fine Commander." Nyota said with a small frown. "Dr. McCoy's orders said I had to rest, not that I couldn't leave my quarters. I'm not exerting myself now."

"Lieutenant. You are ordered to leave the bridge. If you defy _this_ direct order it will be noted in your record as insubordination." Spock said firmly. "A report of insubordination will not reflect favorably upon your upcoming review for promotion." He added quietly as he raised an eyebrow.

"Understood sir." Nyota glared at him and then at the rest of the bridge which had suddenly become hushed. Nyota slowly walked to the turbo lift and ascended to her deck. Nyota knew that Spock was serious about his order. He worked very hard to maintain professionalism when it came to their work together, even when it made him look like a pill in front of the rest of the bridge. Still, everyone on the bridge could sense Spock's increasing anxiety levels as it came closer to Nyota's due date. What had been an occasional nod in her direction when they were on the same shift had quickly morphed into hovering as Nyota began to show and then into micromanaging as Nyota came into her final segment of the extended pregnancy. Nyota decided that Spock's concern was cute and ignored his interference with her duties for the most part; however, now, he had McCoy behind him which meant that he would take his anxious acting out to a new level. Nyota sighed as she sunk into the bed.

Nyota took a short nap and then stood to replicate a light meal. She shook her head at the idea that she wasn't even capable of heading to the mess hall on her own. Nyota acknowledged that her back hurt and that it was getting more difficult to take a deep breath. She also acknowledged that she hadn't been able to sleep properly in weeks and that it felt like a large man was standing against her intestines but that didn't mean she couldn't _work._ Nyota took her soup to the little dinette that also functioned as an office in their quarters. As she spooned the hot broth into her mouth, Nyota's eyes finally fell upon the box that Spock had carried up from Earth.

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Author's note: Thanks to ayachan1412 for being my beta reader! This is a story about Nyota's paternal grandfather who was mentioned briefly in First Contact and Surprise Surprise.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any of its associated content.

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Nyota lost her sense of time over the next few days. Without having to report to duty and with Spock's shift changing with the needs of the crew and ship, Nyota infrequently had any real idea of what time it was. One of the unfortunate aspects of living on a ship was that there was no sunlight to attach one's internal clock to. Spock was extra attentive. He brought her his logs and the communications logs to review at the end of his shifts so that she would not feel left out. He ordered her Linguistics journals and other publications that he thought would interest her. He even arranged for her to receive fresh pineapple grown on Xelax 5, knowing it was her favorite. If Nyota had not known better, she would have suspected that Spock was trying to make up for reprimanding her on the bridge.

Even though Nyota could not tell what time it was and even though Spock was doing a good job of distracting her, she felt the hours drag on. If she had been somewhere else, she might have scratched the days into the wall with a knife. She went through her grandfather's box and had found a number of interesting items. There had been a letter that had accompanied a medal of honor from his role in the Earth-Romulus war, although Nyota had not been able to find the medal itself. She suspected that her father or one of his siblings had it. She also found several old PADDs that she could not figure out how to get it up and running. She imagined that they contained downloads of newspaper clippings since the rest of the box seemed to contain nostalgic items from just after the war ended.

Nyota did not know much about what happened in her grandfather's life in the six years between the war and his meeting of Nyota's grandmother. She knew what happened after that, she had heard the stories from her father and all of her aunts and uncles. Charles met Kioni Obure when he went into a United Earth informational office to learn more about pilot training in the newly expanded Starfleet. Now that the Federation was alive, Starfleet would be looking for more service men and women. He saw Kioni, who was demurely assisting an elderly woman hobble to the information counter, and was awestruck. She was young, beautiful and most importantly kind to others. Nyota's relatives told her Charles had been somewhat scarred by the things he witnessed as a boy during the war and the thing that he wanted most in a woman was sweet disposition. He had planned to become an official helmsman but never went through with it, not wanting to leave Kioni's side. Charles was twenty two when he married Kioni and she was twenty.

Nyota had seen pictures of her grandparents, both dead before she was born, and had always longed to connect with them. Nyota always felt that her grandparents were the one thing that might have made her childhood happier. She was thankful for the childhood she had; after all, if she hadn't had it she would have never met Spock all those years ago. Still, Nyota had nursed a wish for a loving grandmother to dote on her and a grandfather to tell her stories. She had, at times when her father hadn't been able to take her with him, wished that her grandparents whose kindness and bravery she heard so much about, would have been alive to take her away. She knew her aunts and uncles but they had very different lives from their brother Kiano and the group of siblings were not close. Kiano had been the baby and was a different generation from his older brothers and sisters.

Nyota found a holophoto of Charles, Kioni and two men who wore long tunics. Nyota suspected that they were Vulcans. Even Nyota could see the resemblance between herself and her grandmother. She had a nearly identical build and smile. Nyota had also inherited her large dark eyes and, from what she heard, somewhat forthright demeanor. For all of Nyota's smallness of frame and pushiness her father Kiano had been nearly a spitting image of his own father. Both men had been built like bulldogs, shorter than average and heavily muscled. What they lacked in delicacy, however, they both made up for in personality the way Nyota heard it. While Kiano was gregarious and persuasive, Charles had been quietly sanguine and inherently calm in all situations. Nyota rifled through the box further and found that she'd seen everything it had to offer. Nyota turned and looked back at the old PADDs.

"Spock?" Nyota asked as Spock reviewed reports from the day.

"_Ashayam_?" Spock glanced over at her quickly before returning his attention to his work. He'd begun to call her _ashayam_ in private since she'd become pregnant. Nyota appreciated the uniquely Vulcan affection.

"Can you look at these when you have a moment." Nyota waddled out toward Spock, her body unwilling to move against the strain of her pregnancy, and handed him the old PADDs. Nyota would not ever admit it to McCoy or Spock, but the pregnancy was finally becoming more difficult than Nyota could stand and she was glad not to have to report to the bridge. The idea of trying to put her boots on was torturous. Nyota couldn't imagine wearing them for a full shift.

"What are they?" Spock inspected the old units. They had to be nearly a hundred years old.

"They're PADDs that I found in my grandfather's box. I'm sure they're just news stories about his involvement in the Earth-Romulus war, but I'd like to see them." Nyota eased herself down next to Spock and placed a hand on his thigh. "I tried everything I know to get them going, but I couldn't get them to power on. I was thinking that maybe the power source was dead but when I looked at it, it wasn't anything I could recognize. I thought that maybe you would have more insight? You are, after all, particularly good at everything you attempt to do." Nyota beamed at Spock.

"Very well." Spock knew it was useless to try to attempt to resist Nyota's charms. Even though her body was strained and she was frequently tired, frustrated and now resentful at the order for bed rest, she still spent considerable effort doing things that she knew that Spock would appreciate. Every day that Spock looked into Nyota's eyes he knew why he had chosen her. Even through her complicated pregnancy, she still tried to be be cheerful and Spock was grateful. In truth, Spock had not planned for Nyota's pregnancy at this stage of their lives together; however, true to years of Vulcan evolution, pon farr had caused them to reject their usual preventative measures and a daughter had been conceived. The baby had not actually been conceived during the worst of Spock's time, but just as he was entering it. Still, the result had been the same. Spock's emotional control had faltered and his logic had been hidden in the swirl of passion.

Spock put his work aside and began to tinker with the ancient device. Nyota's first inclination was likely correct, so Spock inspected the power source. It was old and depleted, but not corroded. Spock crossed the room and asked the replicator to produce several compatible parts for the old device. After thirty minutes of making adjustments to the device Nyota heard it power on. She slowly walked behind Spock, who was now sitting at the small table, and looked over his shoulder. The screen flickered on, the resolution slightly primitive in comparison to the crystal clear lines on the PADDs that they used, but still fully functioning.

"Spock! You're amazing! Thank you so much!" Nyota wrapped her arms around Spock's shoulders and kissed him. Spock decided to relish the contact instead of informing her that he had merely gotten the device to activate and that he had yet to evaluate its functionality. Between Nyota's uncharacteristic surliness and the birth set to happen imminently, Spock did not know when he would have Nyota's unsupressed joy at something he did again.

"It appears to be a journal of some type Nyota." Spock continued to work on Charles Uhura's PADDs until he actually got them to work. As he tabbed through the entries and accessed the menu, he noticed that all of the files were organized by date.

"A journal? Really?" Nyota returned to peer over Spock's shoulder. "What are the dates that you see?"

"The earliest that I can see on this particular device is 2159. It is at least a full century old. The fact that this has remained in tact is fascinating." Spock cocked his head. "I suppose that the arid climate of Nairobi preserved the integrity of the circuitry. It appears to be fully functional now that it has been cleaned and power has been restored." Spock turned to look over his shoulder at Nyota.

"2159? That's during the war Spock. He had to have been what? 13? 14 years old? I don't even think T'Mana was alive then."

"She was a contemporary of your grandfather Nyota. If I recall correctly, they were approximately a two decades apart in age, perhaps less."

"No, I think you're right. I think T'Mana was born in 2121. She was just a girl by Vulcan standards wasn't she?" Nyota realized her mistake as soon as she said it. Spock looked up at her. "You're half human Spock. You matured at a rate that corresponded with Human standards." Nyota smiled at him weakly. "In any case, my grandfather was born in 2145 so those entries must have been when they drafted him to start looking for ships for United Earth's space fleet. Wow! This is probably everything that everyone in my family ever wondered about." Nyota let her excitement run into Spock's mind.

Reading through the journals was difficult for Nyota over the next few days. The initial entries were sporadic and, frankly, they'd been writing by a teenage boy that was preparing to go to war. Still, they were vivid and offered insight into the people in the war. As far as Nyota could tell, Charles had started keeping the journal when it had been discovered that he was able to sense enemy ships that were cloaked before any technology was able to pick their presence up. Nyota had no idea how her grandfather had managed it but it was something that had been consistent in all accounts of his role in the war.

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Author's note: Thanks to ayachan1412 for being my beta reader. She is most excellent!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any of its associated content.

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2159.25_

_Mother has been stationed on ISS Helena. She emailed me this morning and said that she would continue to try to arrange it so that we would be on the same ship. I don't think it'll happen. She's an engineer. They've told me I will be on the bridge to assist the helmsmen. I can tell she's worried but even she said that in times like these, everyone has growing to do. _

_2159.48_

_There was another attack against the Andorians. Last night. They took down one of the drones but the two that materialized as they began to retreat destroyed them within a few moments. Capitan Kuyare says that they really need me up there. They just haven't decided where I'll be. I should know soon. I'm almost done with my basic training. _

_2159.67_

_I've been posted to the ISS Ramses. We leave tomorrow. _

_2159.69_

_I'm the youngest one here but so far everyone has been okay. I miss baba already. It is strange to hear my name called as Ensign Uhura but I think I like it. I met two Andorians today. They're much different in person than they look on screen. They're not as blue as I thought. _

_Captain Nakamura says that she needs me to be on the bridge at all times. I'm posted at the helm so I can see the sensors at all times. The other helmsman is Lieutenant Martin Herrera. He's from New York. He laughed when I told him I had never been outside of Nairobi before. Still, he seems like a nice guy. He isn't much older than me, but he did enlist, so he knows more than I do. He said if I needed help I could ask him. _

_I emailed my mother today and told her everything was fine. They haven't seen any action yet. I'm glad. The Romulans keep hitting the Andorians and our ships are moving to support them. It won't be too long before more United Earth ships get attacked. It's been quiet for about a month for us. _

_I have to go to my shift. _

_2159.74_

_Our shifts are long and we only have about 5 hours between them. While I was trying to get some sleep yesterday, we set course toward Vulcan space. Warp 5 makes my head hurt. We were directed to approach Vulcan as they believe that there are drones lurking in the area. There was one attack a couple of days ago near the Andorian border and where there is one, there will be another. Captain says she'll need me to be on duty until we leave the area, so I'm going to try to get as much rest as I can now. I'm going to go to sleep. _

_2159.78_

_This is my first break for days. I was able to "see" the drones that were grouping up just beyond Vulcan's atmosphere in the shadow of the planet. Herrera asked me how I could figure out they were there. I don't know. I just can. I always thought everyone could do it. I think I could probably do it better if we could see what was out there on screen, but as it is, I can do okay with the sensors. _

_Anyway, we approached them fast and hit them hard. I heard Captain Nakamura tell Vulcan High Command that it was because of me that we were successful. I can't wait to tell baba!_

_2159.90_

_I've worked at least double shifts for at least 9 of the last 12 days. My eyes feel fuzzy. I can't tell anyone though. Everyone else is just as tired. I found four birds of prey cloaked just beyond Tellar Prime while we were patrolling the area. Captain asked the ISS Thor to come around the back of them. We destroyed them all. It isn't as exciting as I thought it would be. There wasn't any cheering like in the movies. Even though I know they're trying to kill us and our allies, it's hard not to think that they've got families and stuff at home just like we do. Every ship that gets blown up is full of sons and daughters, moms and dads no matter what side they're on. My mother says that it is good that I'm realizing this so early. She said that anyone who finds war romantic is too immature to be in one. _

_I have a six hour break. I'm going to sleep. _

_2159.140_

_Two Vulcans have boarded the ship to assist us in a mission that came down from the Admiral. Herrera says that we don't need Vulcans to help us figure things out but I don't know. They're fighting this war too and they seem to know a lot about Romulans. They seem to be fine. I've heard lots of different things about Vulcans but they just seem normal to me. Quiet, but then again, I'm quiet. _

_Their names are T'Ura and Tyvoc. I haven't had a chance to talk to them other than to introduce myself when the Captain brought them around the bridge. Tyvoc looks like he's Herrera's age. Maybe 22? 23? T'Ura looks younger. Like she might be closer to my age. I don't know. It's hard to tell since she hasn't smiled. I can tell a lot about a girl by her smile I think. I think she might be 18 or 19. _

_I have to go back to my console. _

Nyota put the PADD down. Was the Tyvoc that she had grown up with the same Tyvoc that had boarded her grandfather's ship? Nyota never knew that Tyvoc had served in the Vulcan Defense Force. In truth, Nyota did not know much about Tyvoc. She knew that he was her father's close friend and a noted scientist; however, beyond that she knew little of his history. It occurred to Nyota that she didn't even know how old Tyvoc was. It was certainly possible that he was one of T'Mana's contemporaries, or perhaps older. Vulcans did not age at the same rate as Humans. Nyota wondered if her grandfather knew that. His estimates of Tyvoc's age could have been off by 50 to 100 years.

Nyota struggled to stand. She went to the table that held a console that could access the ships computer records. She entered the term 't'ura'. Nyota had never heard that name before. She could ask Tyvoc questions later. She spoke to him fairly regularly since he'd accepted a position on the Vulcan High Council along side her own father and godmother T'Mana. The search came back with approximately two hundred thousand hits. Nyota frowned.

"Spock? Are you busy?" Nyota asked into her communicator.

"I am on duty Nyota. Are you well?" Spock asked calmly. Nyota could sense his tension through their link though. The baby really was due any moment, full gestation period or not.

"Yes. I'm fine." Nyota thought about making her query through the mind meld but felt it would be easier to do it by communicator. She didn't have to face Spock's increasing anxiety of a complication laden labor if she stayed clear of his mind and emotional center. "The ship said you were in your office. I have a question for you."

"Of course Nyota." Spock's disembodied voice came through the communicator.

"What do you know about the name T'Ura?" Nyota asked.

"It is a Vulcan girls name. It is of older origin and not commonly used since the predominance of Surak's teachings. It means 'she who sings'."

"Are there any prominent Vulcans with that name?" Nyota queried.

"Not that I am aware of." Spock paused on the other end of the communicator connection. "I apologize Nyota. The databases that would contain such records were destroyed. Otherwise I would research this name."

"It's not your fault Spock. I was just curious." Nyota sighed.

"Is it a name that you are considering for our daughter?" Spock had been forcefully advocating for a Vulcan name for their daughter. Nyota was unsure. She could see Spock's motivations around a Vulcan name but none of the names he offered sounded quite right.

"I don't know Spock. I need to find out more. I'm still thinking about it." Nyota said gently. She didn't want to disappoint Spock. She could feel his hope against her mind. It was mostly true. She had decided to look through her grandfather's things with a hope of thinking of a name that connected to her family. Depending on who T'Ura was, it might be perfect.

"Will there be anything else Nyota?" Spock said quietly. Nyota could tell that someone was in the room with him else he'd be calling her _ashayam_.

"No. Nothing. I'll see you in a few hours." Nyota said brightly. She thought the words 'I love you' through their link and she could feel the swell of warmth pour over into her mind from his.

"Very well. Goodbye." Spock said, his voice, as ever, neutral.

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Author's note: Thanks to ayachan1412 for being my beta reader! I changed the genre of this story because it's becoming something of a mystery. I hope you like it! It's starting a little slowly but it'll pick up steam very quickly. Thanks for reading and commenting!


	4. Chapter 4

disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any of its associated content

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Nyota told Spock to put his hand over her stomach. The baby, still without a name, was moving furiously. She was kicking and it felt as though she were turning somersaults as well.

"Do you think that she is now preparing for her birth?" Spock asked, an unusual sense of wonder in his voice.

"Maybe." Nyota said. "I think she's got a few more turns before she gets into position to be born though Spock." Nyota smiled down at him. Spock often lamented what he called Human control over his Vulcan emotions but Nyota loved that he was unable to control his amazement at the process of her pregnancy. He frequently sat completely still, his fingertips stroking Nyota's belly in order to make some telepathic connection with the tiny person inside. Spock would turn to her and whisper 'fascinating' but Nyota knew that it was more than fascinating to Spock. She could feel his hopes for their daughter in her mind, his sense of joy and anticipation. "Don't worry Spock. You'll meet her soon enough and we'll both have plenty of time to get to know her."

"Are you feeling tired still?" Spock asked as he moved his hand at last and stroked Nyota's temples. She was sitting at the table with her grandfather's PADD in her hand. She had not been able to read much more in the last few days. She had been deluged with appointments to see McCoy. Nyota had suddenly lost two pounds and it raised fears that the pregnancy was draining her more than was medically acceptable. The truth was that since she wasn't working, she didn't have much of an appetite. She was, after all, an athlete. Her body didn't respond with hunger to laying around. Still, McCoy had ordered another battery of tests to make sure everything was fine. Nyota wondered if Spock's mother had gone through a similar experience and was saddened to remember that she would never see her granddaughter.

Nyota was thinking about the number of grandparents in her life that had not lived to meet her. She'd only known her maternal grandfather, who was still alive, however, somewhat distant. When Spock left for his shift, Nyota was anxious to read more about Charles Uhura. The journals were getting more detailed as she went and she could not help but feel like she was getting an opportunity to know the man who she had been told she was like.

_2159.210_

_Today we docked on Vulcan to undergo some maintenance. Herrera told me it would be hot as hell out there on the surface of Vulcan but I didn't care. I needed to get off this ship. I haven't been on the ground in months. We keep docking at outposts where it's just a little metal and glass between us and the sky. _

_The planet is nice. It reminds me of home a bit but dustier and redder. Tyvoc showed me around a little. I guess that Tyvoc isn't really well liked here though, no one came to greet him like they did T'Ura. Still, I think Tyvoc is an okay man. He makes me smile. I don't think he means to but I think he likes the response anyway. He exchanges my rations of dried cocoa powder for rations of synthol. I don't think he knows what he's giving up, but I'm happy to accommodate him. I don't even like chocolate! _

_I'm a little worried about my mom. I haven't heard from her for a month. I sent a message off to my father and he hadn't heard from her either. I'm hoping its something routine like they're rationing power or they've frozen communications because they're creeping dark. I haven't heard anything about an attack in that part of the quadrant though, so it's more likely. _

_T'Ura says that exploring the rational is infinitely more logical than focusing on the wilds of my imagination. I think she means that if I focus on the positive, the negative will seem less likely. I don't understand her sometimes, but I like to hear her talk. Usually Tyvoc will interpret for me but I think I'm getting better at following her. _

_2159.229 _

_I heard from my mother today. She says she's okay but I can tell that all this time away from home is wearing on her. It is wearing on me and I'm only 15. Mama said she was sorry that she missed my birthday and that she couldn't send anything. It's okay. Tyvoc said he wanted to explore Terran birthday celebrations and Hererra found some old whiskey, not even the synthol that we've been rationed, and they got crazy together. Well, Herrera did. Tyvoc was fine with the whiskey but I noticed him swaying a bit when he dipped into his chocolate stash a little later. _

_T'Ura says that Vulcans get weird on chocolate. She said "Vulcan inhibitions reduce proportionately in relation to the amount of cacao molecules that are consumed." I laughed when she told me but she was serious. She told me not to tell anyone else. She said that she's trusting me because I seem to be accelerated for a Human. She also says that Vulcans honor bravery and that I must be very brave to be here so young. I don't know. I guess. I told her that I had something that the ships needed in the war and it would be stupid for me to say no when it didn't seem anyone else could do it. _

_She said that Surak would agree. When I told her that I didn't know who Surak was, she gave me a book. It's in Vulcan but T'Ura said that she would teach me when we were off duty. She says it's really important that I read the book. _

_I'm back on duty in a few hours. I need to get something to eat. I think Tyvoc is saving his meat rations for me. _

_2159.283_

_Today was a bad day. Captain Nakamura excused me from my shift to sit with Tyvoc. I guess his wife or girlfriend, I can't tell which (I think he's too young to be married but I heard that Vulcans get married as little kids like in olden times), her ship got shot down by a warbird. He was charting our course and all of a sudden he just fell down. _

_We tried to take him to sickbay but T'Ura said it would be useless and that it was more logical to use the space in sickbay for those who could benefit from it. She helped me move Tyvoc to his quarters and she left, saying only that she would grieve with him. I wasn't sure so I stuck around. He didn't cry. He just sort of stared at the wall. I asked him what he would do, if he wanted to go home and he didn't say anything. When it came time for my shift, the captain said she'd find a replacement. I sat with Tyvoc for about ten hours and brought him some of my packaged lentils, but he didn't eat. I came back a while later, after I'd done a shift and sat with him for the whole night. Finally he started talking. _

_He talked about all kinds of strange things, about blood and rage. I didn't think he'd do anything to me and he didn't seem angry he just seemed... confused I guess. _

_Tyvoc has been our cartographer during this mission and has been working with me pretty closely. He explains to me the routes that we're taking through unfamiliar space, especially when we get too close to the Star Empire. I'm not sure when he's going to come back on duty so I really don't know whether we're going to be going any further. We were meant to rendezvous with ISS Thor but I'm not sure that our other navigators are as familiar with this sector as they need to be. I'd been meaning to ask Tyvoc __how he knows Romulan space so well. Maybe I'll ask when he's feeling better. I can tell he's not his usual self right now. _

_2159.305_

_T'Ura, Tyvoc and I have been spending all of our time off shift together. I haven't had much time to write, but it doesn't matter. Not much has been happening here. It seems that the Vulcans are raising more of their own ships into the battle which seems to be helping a bunch. The warbirds are still picking off Starfleet ships like flies but at least the Vulcans are coming to their aid. _

_My mother's ship had a close call. They were just undocking from a fueling station when a couple of warbirds uncloaked fortunately an Andorian warship was approaching the same fueling station and was able to prevent anything terrible happening. The Romulans just recloaked and ran when they realised they were surrounded. _

_I'm still learning Vulcan. Tyvoc seems to be glad to have something to do when T'Ura and I are on shift. He likes to sing the lyrics to old Vulcan folksongs and even made flashcards for me. The songs are a bit over the top but they certainly help me remember words. I'm not sure how much I'm going to be using the words 'blood', 'maiden' and 'kill' though. But you never know. _

_I asked Tyvoc how old he was. He said he was 72 in Terran years. I was pretty sure he was lying so I asked T'Ura. T'Ura said that it was true. I'm still sort of shocked. I'm not sure that they're not playing a joke on me. Vulcans seem all prim and proper but after knowing Tyvoc, I wouldn't put it past him to be playing a huge practical joke. I'd ask more about it, you know, to verify his age but I don't think I want to. I might find out that T'Ura is that old too. I don't think I am quite ready for that. _

Nyota looked up from the PADD, realizing that her suspicions about the Tyvoc that her grandfather knew were true and he was the same Tyvoc that she had grown up with. Certainly, the Tyvoc described in her grandfather's journal and the Tyvoc that she had grown up with shared the same serious chocolate habit. Nyota was conflicted. She wanted to call her father and ask him how he had stayed connected to Tyvoc all these years. It had been more than a hundred years since the war. She also wanted to ask if her father had any idea what had become of T'Ura. Nyota had heard Tyvoc's vague mutterings about the possibility of Nyota's grandmother being a Vulcan and Nyota was tingling at the idea that perhaps T'Ura was her grandfather's first love. Perhaps Nyota was more connected to her grandfather than she ever knew.

Of course, Nyota recognized, that her grandfather had eventually ended up stationed on a Vulcan ship and he was sure to encounter other Vulcan women. Nyota also realized that it was quite possible that Tyvoc, who was the Vulcan equivalent of a kindly curmudgeon, was just shooting his mouth off in a fit of chocolate induced bravado. Still, Nyota thought it was remarkable that her grandfather had made these connections. Of all the people on the ship that a 15 year old boy could have connected with, Charles had become fast friends with two Vulcans, earning their trust enough for them to display their grief openly and to share the secrets of their people.

Nyota decided to be patient. She would not call her father or Tyvoc to ask questions about her grandfather's journal. As far as Nyota could tell, there was at least another full year of entries left to read and perhaps her questions would be answered within. She wondered about what had happened to Tyvoc's bondmate, whether he had ever taken another mate and what had become of T'Ura. Certainly T'Ura was also bonded. Had she been on Vulcan somewhere when the planet had been destroyed? Nyota frowned slightly at this thought. She wondered, if it was even true that Charles and T'Ura had been more than friends, what could have possibly separated them. Nyota leaned back against the pillows on her bed and dozed off, contemplating young love.

* * *

Author's note: Thanks to ayachan1412 for being my betareader! Thanks for all of your comments. I do love them. I'm just so excited about this story! I want to tell everyone how it ends but that'd be wrong, right? I've tried to include lots of Spock and Uhura moments since there isn't much angst/making-up/falling in love in this story. At least not for that particular Vulcan/Human pairing.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any of its associated content.

* * *

"What gives you the impression that they were emotionally involved?" Spock asked over dinner at the small table.

"I don't know Spock. I just get a feeling. You know Tyvoc has hinted at as much." Nyota said, exasperated that Spock was questioning her theory.

"Are your feelings usually indicative of facts Nyota?" Spock said, his eyes creasing slightly in the corner.

"Very funny." Nyota rolled her eyes. "Why do you think it is so unlikely? I mean, your father can't have been the first Vulcan to fall for an alien. And wartime situations would make such a connection all the more logical. After all, they're in close quarters, fighting the same enemy, together all the time." Nyota settled her chin in her palm and looked off into the distance. "They're both young, by Vulcan standards, and probably isolated from the rest of the ship."

"You make valid points; however I find the age difference to be a point of contention." Spock cocked his head. "I find it difficult to believe that a bonded adult female would involve herself with an adolescent Human."

"Uh huh." Nyota raised an eyebrow at Spock, nearly equaling his own expression of skepticism. "How much older was your father than your mother when they married?"

"That is not relevant." Spock looked away quickly.

"Of course not." Nyota laughed. "I still don't know how old T'Ura is, but Charles thought that she was his age. I know that Vulcans age more slowly once they pass adolescence, so why isn't it possible that she was just beyond that point?"

"I find it difficult to believe that Vulcan High Command would authorize an adolescent female to board a Human vessel alone." Spock said calmly.

"She wasn't alone Spock. What if Tyvoc was meant to be her chaperon? I still don't know what it was that T'Ura did on the ship, but Tyvoc was a scientist, not a cartographer. You know he went to the Vulcan Science Academy and studied xenobiology and xenobotany. Maybe she did something really important and they needed to send Tyvoc along to be a plausible bodyguard or something." Nyota paused. "Besides, she might have been in a similar circumstance as my grandfather. She might have been the only one who could do a particular task. Governments do odd things when they are desperate Spock. Nothing is more desperate than war."

"Perhaps." Spock looked at Nyota and nodded.

The next morning Nyota began to read her grandfather's journals again.

_2159.364_

_I don't feel like talking to anyone. Captain said we'd be docking on Luna on New Year's Eve but we can't. I'd emailed Baba to wait for me but now he's going to have made the trip for nothing. Herrera punched the wall when the XO made the announcement. I think he broke his hand. Anyway. Something tells me that this year isn't going to be so great. _

_2160.002_

_Uzh R'Tas Smusma'es means Happy new year in Vulcan. T'Ura says that Vulcans usually meditate for the new year. She said she had never seen fire works. _

_I think that, after this is all over, T'Ura should come visit me on Earth. Everything I ask her about she hasn't seen yet. I told Tyvoc about home and he said it sounded good to him. He said that he would be happy to come to Earth for a while. If Tyvoc will come, I bet T'Ura will too. She seems so shy though. It's not just her being quiet. We docked on Vulcan again a few weeks ago and I think I can tell the difference between Vulcan demeanor and T'Ura's shyness. Even on Vulcan, she seemed to want to stay out of everyone's way. _

_I asked Tyvoc if they were from the same place, like maybe they were related or something and he said no. He told me to look at T'Ura's skin and his. Tyvoc says that T'Ura's darkness shows where she's from. He told me that T'Ura was from the countryside where things were still ruled by passion in many parts. I asked him what he meant and he never said. He just put another square of chocolate into his mouth and let it melt. _

_When I asked him where he was from he said that it was Shi'Kahr, but that he had no real desire to go back. He said that if he survived this war it was the last thing he would ever do for Vulcan. He started talking about the Vulcan government being illogical and that severing ties was the only practical thing left for him. He'd eaten half a bar of chocolate by then so it was pretty useless talking to him. I'm thinking about no longer giving him the chocolate that my sister sends me. _

_2160.018_

_T'Ura is mad at me I think. I was looking at her really carefully today to see if I could figure out what Tyvoc meant. She's about the same color as Herrera, but more olive, like maybe she was from Greece or something. My old math teacher, Mr. Andonais was Greek and he looked sort of like T'Ura, but he wasn't literally olive like T'Ura is. _

_When she saw me looking she yelled at me and said that I was being crude. I didn't know what to say to that so I just stood there as she walked away. She says that Vulcans don't stomp, but she seemed to be stomping to me. _

_Still, I don't really get what Tyvoc meant about her skin. I was thinking that maybe he meant that because she wasn't from the city, it meant that she worked outside or something but that doesn't make sense. My mom has always worked in the bowels of a ship and she's still the color of espresso grounds. Baba calls us his lovely dark stars. _

_I miss baba. I'm still really mad that we didn't make it to Luna, but baba said there will be a next time and that he is going to meet with mama soon. I told him about the people I am friends with on the ship and he said it was good that I was meeting other people. _

_I think that's it for now. I want to ask T'Ura what she does in that room behind the captain's quarters all day, but I don't think she'll actually answer. I've asked Tyvoc and I'm pretty sure he's giving be bad information. _

_CU_

_2160.041_

_We're supposed to rendezvous with a Vulcan ship today. Tyvoc is getting really antsy. He's been pissed off for the last few weeks, growling at everyone and losing his temper. Herrera asked him who peed in his cornflakes and if Herrera hadn't ducked, I'm pretty sure that the hole that he punched in the ship corridor would've been in Herrera's head. _

_I hope that they have some medicine for him. T'Ura says that he's sick, but that it isn't contagious. I noticed that she's staying away from him though, so maybe it's only contagious to Vulcans? I don't know. _

_2160.042_

_So we're supposed to reconnect with the Ni'Var to pick up Tyvoc in a few weeks. The Vulcans said he's really sick and that they need to get him home to treat him. I hope he's okay. T'Ura doesn't seem to be worried, so maybe it's something really common on her planet? _

_2160.050_

_We tussled with some Romulans a couple of days ago. We ended up sustaining some damage to the upper decks so most of the time, after my shift is over, I go up there and help out. T'Ura actually came up too. I think everyone was shocked. Usually she just stays in her little room and then goes straight back to her quarters. _

_Maybe she's lonesome without Tyvoc. Maybe I'll ask her tomorrow if I have time. _

_2160.059_

_I asked T'Ura where she was from today. We were the only people up on Deck 9, helping to rewire the panels that haven't been fixed since the hull was repaired. _

_She said she was born in a place called Raal. She said that it's right on the ocean. When I asked her if it was pretty she said that it "had certain features that could be described as having a unique quality akin to beauty." _

_I told her all about Mombasa and how my parents, sister and I would go to the beach all day long. We take a grill sometimes and we just camp on the beach. We fly kites and mama and I race each other up and down the surf line. Keke and baba would just nap in the sunshine and read. _

_T'Ura looked at me weird then and didn't say anything else for a very long time. _

_We were all done and we were walking past her room when she finally said "Yes. I do believe that I will accept your invitation to visit your world. I think that I would find Mombasa and your familial unit to be fascinating." _

_2160.061_

_Herrera says I need to stop smiling or else someone'll think that I got laid. I punched him and told him to shut up. _

_We're going to go get Tyvoc tomorrow. I sort of like it when he isn't here. Not that I don't like having Tyvoc around, it's just that T'Ura seems more accessible when he's not here. I asked her what she does in that room all day and she said she couldn't tell me. _

_Oh well. I tried._

_

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_Author's Note: Thanks to ayachan1412 for being my betareader! _  
_


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek of any of its associated content.

* * *

Nyota stretched as she got out of bed. She wondered if her back would ever recover from this baby. She'd already gained twenty two pounds and she could feel all of it pulling on her spine. Nyota looked at the time piece on the wall. Spock wouldn't be back to rub her back for hours and McCoy advised her against administering hyposprays for pain. Nyota went to the small cupboards in the corner and looked for her heating pad. She was activating it when her view screen chimed.

"Oh. Hi T'Mana." Nyota smiled and settled the pillow sized heating pad between her and her lower back.

"Child are you well?" T'Mana asked neutrally.

"Oh, yeah. I'm okay. Just usual pregnancy things I guess." Nyota smiled. "Do you have any tips for dealing with such a long pregnancy?"

"Not that would be available to you." T'Mana's brow furrowed as she thought. "Although perhaps there are those who grew redspice on Earth in climates that allowed it. Obviously the redspice supply on Vulcan has ceased to exist. I always found that redspice alleviated certain pain issues during my pregnancies."

"Hmm. Maybe I could get the replicator to make something for me." Nyota paused. "So what's going on?"

"I understand from Sarek and K'Ano that you will be resting after your daughter's birth on Earth." T'Mana didn't say it but Nyota was fairly sure it wasn't her father who had mentioned it to her. It was Sarek that had just found out, from Spock, about her plans to rest in her father's house for a few months before returning to work. Nyota suppressed a smile at her gossipy Vulcan family members.

"That's my plan. I think it'll be easier to recover from the birth with all of the space of my father's house instead of trying to do it here in our little cabin. I mean, the XO's cabin is huge compared to other officers quarters but it's still a little cramped. Plus, I'll have been on bed rest for weeks if things go as planned and I don't think I'll want to see this place again for a full three months."

"I understand." T'Mana looked into Nyota's eyes through the screen. "And what have you chosen as a name?"

"Oh T'Mana, I just don't know." Nyota shook her head. "Every name that Spock brings me is a name that is associated with someone else, which I understand is going to be likely, but I don't want to have my baby and call her T'Pel and then end up thinking of some distant relative or some politician who's perspective I disagreed with." Nyota took a breath. "I understand that Spock is very committed to a Vulcan name. And that's fine, especially since I can't think of a Terran name that I love, but I just want it to have good associations. Do you think I'm taking this too seriously?"

"No. Of course not." T'Mana said calmly. "It is logical to chose a name that you will be comfortable calling your child for her whole life." T'Mana cocked her head to the side. "I generally chose my children's names based upon meaning. It has been frowned upon more recently, but my great grand-daughter T'Lal? She is named after a flower. Perhaps you can chose an object that you particularly enjoy?" T'Mana added helpfully.

"What about T'Ura? Have you ever met anyone with that name?"

"Yes." T'Mana's demeanor suddenly changed from open to cool.

"Okay? And? What was she like?" Nyota asked, puzzled at her godmother's sudden mood change.

"How is it that you are inquiring about name like T'Ura? It is not an often used name. Where did you come across it?" T'Mana said, her voice lowering as she spoke.

"I, uh, I read it somewhere." Nyota was terrible at lying but she could squeak by at being vague. "I thought it was interesting. I asked Spock about it. He said it meant 'she who sings' but said that any records that might have identified what people had that name had been destroyed." Nyota shrugged. "I was just wondering if you knew anything about it.

"I believe that you could find a better name than T'Ura. We shall cease discussing it." T'Mana's eyes narrowed slightly but she said nothing else. Nyota was rather hoping for an explanation for her extreme, for a Vulcan, reaction to the name but she got nothing.

Nyota and T'Mana spoke about the baby, T'Mana's work and the happenings on New Vulcan for a while longer before they ended their call. T'Mana said that she would move into Kiano's house temporarily to help Nyota to adjust to motherhood, which was welcome. If anyone could be trusted with an infant, it was T'Mana. Nyota leaned back against her heating pad and considered T'Mana's reaction.

Nyota wanted to get back to her grandfather's journals but other things had to come first. McCoy was coming by to do a full scan of her abdomen. Spock would not admit this to anyone, but he wanted more images of their daughter. He came rushing in from his shift just as McCoy was finishing everything up, foiled again at convincing any of the medical staff of a scientific reason for new imaging. Nyota laughed as she laid on her side and Spock began to massage her lower back.

"I spoke with T'Mana today. It was... interesting."

"How so?" Spock asked as he applied pressure to Nyota's lumbar area.

" When I said T'Ura she seemed to get... angry." Nyota tried to shrug from her position on the bed, but was unsuccessful. "It's illogical isn't it?" Nyota went on to outline her conversation in detail for Spock.

"You are correct. That is unusual." Spock said, his attention focused on his bondmate's back.

"Is there anywhere else that might have records related to who T'Ura might be?" Nyota wondered aloud.

"Perhaps the archives of United Earth would keep such information. It would be logical since they were stationed aboard United Earth ships. Perhaps Captain Nakamura kept logs specifically related to her Vulcan visitors." Spock answered.

Spock was right. If anyone had those records, it would be United Earth Archives. All of the documentation from Earth's space history prior to the formation of the Federation had to be accessed by special permission or in person. No exceptions. Nyota thought that she probably could get an exception through her father but based on T'Mana's response, she wasn't sure she wanted to involve him. Nyota didn't think it was some elaborate conspiracy; however, maybe something had happened between T'Ura and Charles that T'Mana hadn't approved of. Nyota's mind drifted back to the photo that she saw with the two Vulcan men standing next to her grandparents. She wondered if she could identify them in some way.

_2160.080_

_Something is going on. I can't tell what and no one will be straight with me. _

_It all started when Tyvoc came back. He was angry with T'Ura. Herrera asked me how I could tell when someone was angry. I told him I just could. It's just a matter of paying attention. Like with the cloaked ships, it's just about knowing what to look for. Like, with the ships, when a ship isn't cloaked the sensors could pick it up because light hit it naturally and it is vulnerable to interrupting electromagnetic wavelengths BUT all of the physical properties of a ship are the same even when a cloaking device isn't on. Yes, the light has been slowed and bent to avoid detection but the rest of the universe around it behaves exactly the same way. It still displaces mass. It still makes noise. All of the laws of thermodynamics and physics that apply to matter and energy consumption still apply to the ship even though somethings have changed with the use of light. For the rest of it, you just have to look … differently. I'd say harder, but it isn't a matter of effort, it's just a matter of sort of squinting your eyes some and seeing things differently. _

_It's the same with reading Vulcans. Just because they believe that emotions are better left unexpressed doesn't mean that they don't have them. Just like a cloaked ship still displaces mass, their anger still effects their posture, the way their jaw is clenched and their breathing. _

_Anyway, Tyvoc was angry. I don't know why, but I could tell it was about T'Ura. Maybe she did something she wasn't supposed to do when he was sick? I can't imagine that's right though. The only thing she did while he was gone was to help repair some of the structural damage that we had. He can't be mad about that can he? I mean, there's not a lot in her room. I've only seen it from the doorway, but it's pretty bare. _

_I don't know. Maybe she did something in that room by the captain's office? I've never seen the inside of there and I'm not even sure if Captain knows what goes on in there. The whole ship is sort of curious. I can tell because everyone asks me. I don't get why the ship is so scared to just talk to T'Ura and Tyvoc themselves. They're just people. I mean, yeah, they're Vulcan people so they're a little different (T'Ura told me that her heart was where my stomach was; that is, I admit, a little weird) but they're still just normal. _

_So yeah. So with everything tense between T'Ura and Tyvoc, Tyvoc would tell me to tell T'Ura something even though she's like five feet away and she could definitely hear him from where she's standing. After about week of that I told him he was being illogical and to talk to T'Ura himself. _

_Now he's not talking to me. It's too bad because we work together a lot and it would be easier for us to have a pleasant relationship instead of one word answers; however, it was sort of worth it since I could almost see T'Ura smile when I told Tyvoc to suck it up. _

_It was faint and I think that if I wasn't who I was, someone who looks for little things, I would have missed it. I am sure it was there though. Absolutely positive._

_

* * *

_

Author's Note: Thanks to ayachan1412 for being my betareader! Okay folks, it should start picking up now. No more set up. Thanks so much for reading this more Nyota/OC focused story and thank you for your comments. I swear that this will have a big impact on the little Spock-ette that Nyota's carrying and explain everything about Kiano that you've ever wanted to know. :) _  
_


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any of its associated content.

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"Hey Basim!" Nyota said to her brother's image in the view screen.

"Hey sis." Basim said, his eyes somewhat sleepy. "Uh, not that I mind but do you have any idea what time it is? "

"Uhm..." Nyota looked around and considered where her brother was. He lived in San Francisco but traveled a lot. Nyota had emailed him to get the number of his hotel but hadn't considered where that was exactly. "No?" Nyota smiled. "I'm sorry Basim. I think that my second week on bed rest has made me completely unable to keep track of time. I just sit here in our quarters staring at the walls, slowly going stir crazy."

"Yeah. That sounds about right for you. I'm surprised that they haven't had to physically restrain you. FYI, I'm in Budapest. It's two. In the morning."

"Sorry." Nyota winced. Nyota had a vague awareness that it was late afternoon in San Francisco, but she really hadn't thought about the country code she'd dialed for her brother.

"So, what can I do for you?" Basim settled back in his chair.

"Well, I have a favor to ask you but I need you to keep it quiet."

"A favor? What kind of favor?" Basim's eyes showed his confusion. Basim looked so much like Nyota's mother Naima it was scary. He had her hazel eyes and long black lashes, her thick wavy hair and her prominent arched nose. He was a good looking guy to be sure, but the resemblance was uncanny. Fortunately, the resemblance stopped there. Basim was incredibly mellow and he loved his big sister more than anything in the world. They had been attached at the hip for most of their childhood and no one knew what made the other tick better.

"What can you access with your press credentials Basim? I heard that members of the press could skate around some of the requirements to access archived historical documents." Nyota was hopeful.

She explained to him that she was looking for some records of the occupants of a ship, the ISS Ramses that had operated during the latter part of the Earth-Romulus war. Nyota thought her description was just vague enough that it would prevent Basim from asking Kiano or T'Mana about it. Most of the time, Charles Uhura was associated with the Vulcan ship the B'Jahl, where he finished the war in the Battle of Cheron; even Nyota had been surprised to learn about the Ramses from his journals.

"So what's up with the manifest of this ship?" Basim asked thoughtfully. Nyota could tell he was already intrigued. "And why don't you want Dad or T'Mana to know about it?" Basim narrowed his eyes at her. If Nyota couldn't lie well in general, she could absolutely not lie to Basim. She couldn't even get away with vagueness. He was a reporter through and through; his desire for truth was unrelenting. T'Mana had been thrilled when Basim had become a journalist, pride in her godson pouring out everywhere.

"There's a woman named T'Ura that I want to know more about. She was on that ship." Nyota was going to try to avoid extra scrutiny by being super specific.

"T'Ura? A Vulcan on a United Earth ship?" Basim asked. He was taking notes on a PADD now.

"Yeah. Interesting isn't it? I mean, I know that babu was a Human on a Vulcan ship at the very end of the war but I know what _he _did. I can't figure out what T'Ura did." Nyota paused to think. "And I need you to keep it quiet because when I asked T'Mana about it she sort of freaked out. I'm just curious about who she was." Nyota chose to exclude her suspicions about a romance between Charles and T'Ura forming. Truly, she wasn't positive that Spock was wrong. It was a long shot, a teenage Human and an mysterious Vulcan girl.

"Interesting. I don't know Ny. I'll see what I can find for you. How'd you find out about all this anyway?" Basim looked over the rim of his glasses at Nyota.

"Just some old reading that I'm doing to keep from climbing the walls. Spock said he'd have researched it for me but the Vulcan records were destroyed." Nyota hoped that Basim would accept her explanation because he was already engaged in this task.

"Huh. Okay. I'll probably give you a call or drop you an email in a few days. I can access the United Earth Archives with my Chronicle password." Basim looked down at his notes one last time.

"Great Basim! You are super cool! I knew I could count on you." Nyota squealed, relieved that he would do this favor for her without further explanation.

"When I'm done though, you're going to have to give me the full story. Later." Basim said the last and the screen went black. Nyota should have known that Basim would see though her attempts at secrecy. Oh well. At least he was going to do it.

_2160.097_

_There has been an escalation in violence on the part of the Romulans. If I thought things had been relatively slow lately, then it is changing now. _

_It's effecting everyone on the ship. Mama says that it is important to remember the very best about everyone, even when they're not acting their very best. I'm trying really hard to remember that usually, everyone is good, calm and professional but right now the tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. _

_Lieutenant Commander Das had to break up a fight between Ensign Abraham and Tyvoc. I have no idea what got into Abraham. Tyvoc was just passing through. I got in the middle of it but neither man paid any attention to me. T'Ura ran to get Das. I've never seen her run before. She's fast. _

_Anyway. That's what is happening here. Both of my parents are emailing me a lot. Baba wants to make sure I'm okay and mama, well, she is able to monitor our status but she wants to make sure that life on the ship isn't too much for me I think. _

_I'm actually doing pretty well. I thought I'd be in the way but, up until the last few weeks, our ship has functioned well as a team. _

_We had our reviews even though its wartime. Our XO, Commander Saad, promoted me to Junior Lieutenant. Mama said not bad for a 15 year old. Herrera said that I may've peaked too soon. Tyvoc and T'Ura gave me a little chess set. It folds out so that you can play on all of the levels. I don't know where it came from, but I was really happy to have it. It gets boring sometimes. _

_It's hard to believe that I've been aboard the ship for a full year. It isn't bad though. I can see why my mother likes it. Maybe after this is over (if it ever ends) I can complete real training and get to be a real helmsman. Or maybe I'll study botany like Tyvoc. I've never really thought about plants as interesting before but Tyvoc talks about them a lot and he makes it sound pretty cool. He asks me all the time about Earth plants that I've seen. I think he's shocked that I've never paid attention to them. _

_T'Ura is still helping me with my Vulcan. That's a nice break from everyone being mad at each other on the ship. Tyvoc has finally decided to leave us alone sometimes. _

_2160.113_

_Today T'Ura commented that she'd been on the ship for nearly a year when we were walking to the bridge. I told her it was interesting that still no one knew what she did on the ship. She seemed to get a little cranky but after my shift, she came to my quarters to talk. Thank God my bunkmate wasn't around. He would've told Herrera in two seconds and I'd never live it down. _

_Anyway, she asked me if I really wanted to know what she did. I told her yeah, I really did. She told me that I had to promise to keep it quiet. Well, she said "It is imperative that this information is not disseminated in any manner. Imperative!" I told her that I hadn't told anyone about the chocolate and that I'd never said anything about Tyvoc's being sick either, although people asked me all the time why Tyvoc got a few weeks of shore leave and no one else did. Finally, I guess she decided to trust me. _

_She told me that Vulcans were something called "touch telepaths". She explained that there are people called natural telepaths and then there are empaths and somewhere inbetween are touch telepaths. She said that most Vulcans could access another person's thoughts and emotions when they touched. And with Vulcans, that ability was mostly contained in the finger tips. _

_Then she told me that sometimes, Vulcans were born without any telepathic ability but even more rarely, there are Vulcans that are true telepaths. True telepaths don't have to touch someone to knew what they're thinking and feeling. _

_T'Ura is a natural telepath. She said that it was clear that is what she was when she was born and it was why she was sent to live in the sparsely inhabited village on the edge of Raal. T'Ura said that usually when natural telepaths are born on Vulcan they're sent to places where there aren't too many people so that they'd have a good chance at developing more normally. She said that if a little Vulcan that is a natural telepath grows up around too many people then she'll never figure out how to control her ability. _

_I asked her what any of this has to do with what she does in the room behind the captain's office. She told me to shut up and listen. Well, she said "your lack of patience is illogical because it will not change the pace of my conveyance of information." Anyway, she finished telling me about how she had a special handler in Raal and couldn't see her parents until she'd gotten used to her abilities. _

_I asked if Tyvoc was her handler and she gave me that weird look that she gives me sometimes. It's sort of like "you're so Human and I can't believe you figured that out." I don't think she'd actually say that but that's what the look reminds me of. _

_I didn't really find any of this super surprising. I mean, I notice that Tyvoc never touches people (not even T'Ura) but T'Ura had no problem helping to get Tyvoc to his room that one time or in grabbing Lieutenant Commander Das to break up the fight. I sort of suspected that there was something going on with Vulcans and touch. _

_What shocked me, and I guess T'Ura knew it would (but maybe she knows everything that I'll think and feel in advance, no wait, I think that's psychic ability. I think T'Ura is only able to tell what people are thinking or feeling at the time they're feeling it) was that the reason she was on the ship was because there were Star Empire spies aboard several Earth and Vulcan ships. I told her to tell me who it was right now. She said she wouldn't. Apparently T'Ura has been moving from ship to ship throughout the war to sniff out spies. She said that most of the time she's on Vulcan ships, but there had recently been information that there were Human spies that were working for the Romulans. She said that there had been a mole within the Vulcan government who knew who most of the other natural telepaths were and that most of them were gone now. The only people like her that remained were those who weren't doing work for the Vulcan intelligence agency. That's one of the reasons she was with Tyvoc. _

_I don't know how to feel. I promised that I would never tell anyone but... this is big. I mean, obviously Captain Nakamura knows about it. And no one has been removed from the ship yet, so I guess that T'Ura hasn't determined who it is yet, but she's pretty sure that someone aboard is a spy. I can't even think straight wondering who it might be. What if its Herrera? It can't be him can it? _

_No wonder she won't tell anyone. If we're all tense already from the increase in Romulan attacks I can't imagine what would happen if everyone knew there was a spy aboard. Crap. _

_2160.119_

_I've been thinking a lot about what T'Ura told me and what it means. I understand that it means that I should be extra careful. Especially since I am the person who finds the Romulan cloaked ships. I mean, if I were a spy, I'd be keeping a close eye on the guy who can "see" our ships in all conditions. _

_But it also occurred to me a few days after we talked that T'Ura must really trust me. Like, she can look into my mind whenever she wants to and if she has, she must think whatever is in there is decent, even if I am just Human. _

_It's a little weird. She didn't say exactly how much she controls her ability or if she has to look into everyone's mind on the ship (although that would make the most sense and explain why she's in that little room all day). I wonder if she knows that I think she's pretty. I mean, she got mad at me that one time when I was trying to look at her. Maybe she sensed that Tyvoc had been talking about her and she wasn't really mad at me? _

_She is pretty though. I think that she's one of the prettiest girls I've seen. Of course, there aren't too many girls my age up here. Oh. That reminds me. I should probably ask her how old she really is. I'm sure she's seen the question in my mind. It's so weird not knowing what she knows about me. Thank God I haven't done anything embarrassing. Well, that whole thing with Herrera after T'Ura said she'd come visit was pretty embarrassing. I mean, I've thought about it a little. _

_Oh God. She probably knows about all of that._

_

* * *

_Author's note: Thanks to ayachan1412 for being my beta reader. She asked me about the difference between telepathic and empathic abilities as they related to Vulcans (she said her thoughts were that Vulcans, being telepaths, could only sense thoughts unless there were special circumstances (i.e. a meld or a bond) and then they could sense feelings) so I went and did a little more research-- MA says re: Vulcan telepathy: _Stronger minds are capable of non-contact telepathic projection and scanning, usually over short distances, but sometimes even over interstellar distances. Another psionic ability of the Vulcan race is the telepathic suggestion/compulsion, consciously performed by Spock and T'Pol and unconsciously performed by Sarek. Although Vulcans do not, typically, allow themselves to experience uncontrolled strong emotions, they may sense them in other_s.

Anyway, that leads me to believe that Vulcans are either partially empathic or their telepathy encompasses strong feelings. I don't think Charles knows that yet. He'll be doing some research in the next few chapters. So far I've got twelve chapters so there'll be more about various psionics as we progress. Thanks so much for reading and commenting!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any of its associated content.

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Nyota took some time to research the Battle of Cheron. It had occurred to her that her grandfather's journals had to be reaching that time period soon. Nyota also knew that his mother, her great grandmother, had been critically injured in the the battle, dying before they'd been able to reach facilities that might have saved her life.

In the official description of the battle, the B'Jahl had been the ship that had turned the tables in favor of the alliance. The Romulans had set up an ambush and had been steadily winning against all the ships that had come to aid the ISS Mercury, the first ship that had been ensnared in the trap. The Romulan vessels had lain in wait for all of the approaching ships, revealing themselves and attacking alliance starships. It wasn't until the B'Jahl had come and alerted all the other ships of where the Romulans had been hiding throughout the system that the alliance had been able to recover. The alliance had been able to surprise the warbirds, destroying them in such numbers that the Romulans had no choice but to retreat. The Romulans never fully recovered and a treaty was finally signed, ending the war.

Basim had emailed her with some information from Captain Nakamura's logs. Tyvoc was listed but T'Ura was not. Basim had also sent a small note of irritation about Nyota not mentioning that he'd be running across their grandfather's name and Tyvoc. Apparently Basim was also surprised that Tyvoc had been friends with Charles. Nyota would have to take some time to fill Basim in on everything, but only when she got to the end of her grandfather's journal.

Nyota was puzzled. She could not think of a reason that Captain Nakamura would refer to Tyvoc and not T'Ura. It would have been one thing if she hadn't referred to either Vulcan. Nyota was aware that Vulcans and Humans were new to working together during a war and it was probably considered unorthodox to have Vulcans on a United Earth ship. But only referring to one? Perhaps it had something to do with the true nature of T'Ura's role on the ship. It would have reflected poorly on Starfleet to have been infiltrated by Romulan spies. Perhaps Nakamura wanted to have no suspicion cast on her ship, or perhaps there was a direct order from Starfleet command not to mention T'Ura. After all, it seemed that the command for T'Ura to be aboard came down from on high.

_2160.180_

_Today is my last day before I return to the ship. I had two weeks of shoreleave. I really needed that. I saw everyone. I saw Keke, Mama and Baba. Things were fine with the family but my friends from school all acted a little weird. They all said I've changed. I think they were disappointed that I didn't have any stories about battle action. I had some, but they just seem more sad than exciting. That's how I feel about this whole war really. I'd love it if Starfleet really does progress toward exploration more than combat. I understand that it has to fill both purposes for now but it would be great if there was a ship that was just dedicated to learning more about the universe. _

_Tyvoc would love that I bet. He told me to bring some specimens back from Nairobi. _

_I bet T'Ura would love it too. Her first choice isn't being a Vulcan spy detector. I guess I understand that. My first choice isn't being a Human ship detector either. I guess we really do have that in common. She said that she loves music actually. It makes sense. I can tell that part of her name, Ura, means sing in Vulcan. I'm not sure what she'd be able to do with music on a exploration vessel though. I brought her some of my favorite Earth Composers. Mostly Bach. I figured that she grew up somewhere sort of remote so she might not have listened to him before. _

_T'Ura told me that she was twenty six years old. She said that it was almost equivalent to my age and explained that Vulcans rate of aging slows down significantly after puberty. She hypothesized that for every year that a Human ages, a Vulcan only ages 3.61 months. I told her that it sounded pretty unfair but she said things could be pretty terrible on her end. She didn't say what she meant. _

_I'm still learning Vulcan. I'm actually pretty good at it. I promised T'Ura that I'd practice while I was on shore leave. Keke actually thought it was pretty cool. _

_I should probably pack. I have to figure out a way to get all this chocolate on board for Tyvoc. _

_2160.197_

_I don't want to sound paranoid but I think that during my shoreleave people were talking about me. Everyone keeps looking at me strangely and Herrera has patted me on the back four times in the last few hours. I looked over at the captain when it happened again but she quickly turned her head instead of making eye contact. I wonder what the hell is going on. _

_2160.215_

_I'm being transferred off of the ship. I don't know what's going on. This isn't fair. This isn't fucking fair!_

_2160.222_

_Happy birthday to me. No one will talk to me. _

_I can't even tell my mother where I'm going to go. I haven't seen T'Ura since I first got back and I'm not even sure if she's around anymore. Why would she leave without saying goodbye? Tyvoc is still here, eating chocolate, the lush. How did everything get so bad so quick. Is this what sixteen is going to be like?_

_2160.223_

_I had a meeting today with the captain. She said that they'd be transferring me to the B'Jahl for my own safety. When I asked her what that meant she said it was classified. How the hell is it classified when it's about **my safety**? This makes no sense. And why am I being transferred to a Vulcan vessel? Can't I at least be sent to be with my mother? Captain says that I'll be apprised on everything once I get there. We're meant to rendezvous with the B'Jahl later today. _

_2160.242_

_I've been on the Vulcan combat vessel B'Jahl for twenty days. I wonder if this is how T'Ura and Tyvoc felt aboard a Terran vessel. No, it can't be because at least they had each other. There is yet to be a Vulcan that has spoken to me outside of the captain and he only speaks to me when he absolutely has to. It's like he resents me being here. And if that's true, why am I here? _

_One benefit is that the Vulcan vessel is nicer than the Ramses. It sounds mean to say, but here we can exceed warp five and it doesn't even make me sick. The sensors here are more sophisticated too. It's about 100% easier for me to see Romulan ships here. _

_The Vulcan crew seems to think that I'm some sort of hoax though. They seem to think that I can't tell what they're thinking about me but I can. I can "see" every emotion they have. I can "see" every judgment that they make. Before T'Ura left (I still don't know what happened to her. Tyvoc refused to talk to me about it) she asked me if I'd ever considered that I was an empath and too inarticulate to express it properly. Yeah T'Ura, I'm just a moron that has no idea how my abilities work. _

_Even though T'Ura got on my nerves sometimes, she's far and away nicer than the people manning this ship. I still miss her, despite how much she looked down on me. Baba said that part of being in the military necessarily means missing people you love. He wasn't referring to T'Ura though. I don't love her. _

_2160.257_

_I'm thankful that T'Ura taught me Vulcan. When they crew talks about me I just stow it away for future reference. When they speak Earth Standard, they do it super slowly like I don't know my own language._

_I think I'm too angry to be lonely._

_Plus the food here sucks. _

_2160.258_

_Captain S'kal told me to come to his office before my shift tonight. Maybe he's going tell me something. I doubt it. I got an email from mama today they're going to take a tour around the back of Vulcan. She said that Keke is getting married. _

_  
I can't even believe it. She's only four years older than me. It just seems like everything is going so fast. _

_2160.259_

_Captain S'kal told me that I had been removed from the Ramses for security concerns and that they couldn't even tell Captain Nakamura. _

_I finally got impatient and just asked him if they thought the Romulan spy on the ship was targeting me. I didn't break my promise to T'Ura. I didn't tell anyone what she was doing on the ship. It may have been a mistake though. He didn't seem surprised at me suggesting it as much as he seemed surprised at me saying out loud. _

_He asked me why I thought there was a Romulan spy. I told him that I wasn't just good at "seeing" Romulan ships. I think he took it as if I meant that I knew who the spy was because he left quickly and didn't come back for some time. _

_All I meant was that I could read the Vulcans, both T'Ura and Tyvoc and the Vulcans on this ship. They were much smarter with T'Ura because they kept her in a little room where she worked exclusively. They aren't keeping me in a little room and I can not only tell what the Vulcans are saying (because I speak Vulcan, I mean, why hasn't it occurred to anyone that its possible for a Human to understand them? They talk about me ALL THE TIME) but what they're feeling. I wonder if this is how T'Ura used to feel, everyone thinking that they were being private when they really weren't. _

_Anyway. It isn't hard to tell what the Vulcan crew's most worried about. I mean I do have access to both Vulcan and United Earth records and despite how 'childlike' Vulcans find Humans, it isn't hard for me to figure it out. I'd have been able to pick it all up even if T'Ura hadn't told me. _

_Finally the captain came back after like an hour. He told me that he was going to tell me highly classified information. He ended up telling me that I was right, that the Romulans were planning something and that I'd be the person who'd really ruin it if the Ramses got anywhere near it so they were planning on sabotaging the ship. The thing was, that the spy, whoever it was, wasn't exactly sure whether T'Ura or me would be the better target. Captain S'Kal didn't say why T'Ura might have been a target though. I guess he didn't think I knew. Anyway, Vulcan High Command had received information that it would be better to sabotage the whole ship to eliminate both problems. _

_I guess that's why they moved T'Ura so suddenly. I don't feel so mad now I guess, but I'm still... I don't know, frustrated? I just wish I could've seen T'Ura long enough to say goodbye. I hope that moving us fixed the problem and that Captain, Herrera, Saad and everyone else on the Ramses is okay. They're sort of like my family away from family. Yeah, even though they got on my nerves, but I guess that families do that sometimes. And I guess we endure separation when we hope that it'll protect each other. __

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_

Author's note: Thanks to ayachan1412 for being my beta reader! Yay! I finished the story over the weekend. Right now you're at the halfway point. Some of you are just too clever though! Thanks so much for all of your comments and thanks for reading! _  
_


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its associated content.

* * *

Nyota couldn't sleep that night. She was too busy wondering what had happened to T'Ura. She knew it was stupid to get so caught up in events that had happened decades before she'd been born, especially since she had no hand in changing them; however, she couldn't stop thinking about it. She desperately wanted to know who T'Ura had become. She had no patience to read through the rest of the journal, especially since it seemed unlikely that Charles and T'Ura would be reunited before the war ended. Nyota knew something of what happened in the following few weeks without reading. She knew that there were a number of guerrilla attacks before the major battle of Cheron. She did not imagine that suddenly T'Ura would appear on the ship and fall in love with Charles.

"Why not simply finish the journal Nyota. You are not sleeping. It is illogical to lay awake thinking about it when your answers could be had." Spock walked into the bedroom, the smell of the fuel from his meditation lamp wafting in after him.

"Am I thinking about it so loudly that I'm disturbing you?" Nyota rolled toward Spock, taking in his shirtless chest. The worst thing about being so pregnant was that she overwhelmingly wanted to touch Spock but her body rebelled in the worst ways.

"No. I am keeping our link more open in the case that you require my assistance or begin your labor. Still," Spock looked down at her "it would be prudent to simply finish would it not?"

"I don't want to find out that T'Ura just disappeared into nothingness Spock. I know Vulcan kept close records on those who were natural telepaths but the only person I can think of who'd remember them has already told me not to look any further into it." Nyota sighed. Knowing that T'Mana probably knew who T'Ura was made things even worse. "I was hopeful Spock. I liked T'Ura as a name."

"It is unlikely," Spock said quietly, his eyebrows pulled together in thought. "But my father might have a recollection such information. He was not born until five years after the conflict had ended; however, you are correct. The Vulcan governing council would have maintained records on T'Ura her whole life. If she had lived an average lifespan, my father may have encountered her. Natural telepaths almost always worked for Vulcan High Command. They infrequently bonded due to their requirements for remoteness during youth so they often made ideal employees, especially in areas of intelligence." Spock stroked his chin.

"Wait what?" Nyota sat up abruptly. As abruptly as one could with a year old fetus in their womb.

"They tended to work in areas of intelligence. It is logical Nyota, their abilities make them especially useful at such work." Spock tilted his head to one side.

"No. They're not bonded?" Nyota asked, her voice rising in excitement.

"It was, from what I understand, unusual for a natural telepath to be bonded as a child Nyota. Their conditions were diagnosed at birth and, if their parents were logical people, they were sent away to learn to control their abilities immediately. It would be very damaging to a Vulcan's neural development and mental wellbeing to be bombarded with undecipherable thoughts from others from birth forward. Usually they were sent to live with other natural telepaths, those who would be able to train and mentor them."

"So it was completely possible for T'Ura to be in an emotional relationship with Charles?" Nyota's eyes lit up. "If she wasn't bonded and she had been sent away from her family, who would there have been to object to such a pairing? Not to mention that Charles had some sort of latent ability of his own that would have given them more common ground that either had experienced with any one else."

"Yes. I suppose that is possible." Spock raised an eyebrow. "Would you like to speak to my father about it? I'm sure he would be available now. He does not require much sleep."

"No. If anyone would tell T'Mana it would be him." Nyota struggled to get out of bed. "No offense Spock, but Sarek isn't any match for T'Mana and I doubt he'd even _want_ to keep a secret from her." Nyota lumbered towards her bond mate.

"Then what is it you plan to do?" Spock's brow furrowed as he moved out of the way so that Nyota could pass.

"I'm going to read more!" Nyota took up the PADD again and began making herself comfortable in her armchair while Spock shook his head and went to bed.

_2160.264_

_The Captain has been watching me over the last few days. I guess it has occurred to him that I'm smarter than I look. This morning I was scanning a quadrant with the long range sensors for unusual activity and everyone around me was speaking Vulcan. I guess he could see me reacting to the conversation because a few minutes later, when I was in the corridor he called my name and asked me something in Vulcan. I forgot to pretend not to understand (I decided to pretend not to understand because I think the crew is more loose lipped then) and he caught me when I answered him back. I answered in Standard, but still. I think my cover is blown. _

_2160.267_

_I dreamed of T'Ura last night. It was very undreamlike. I've been reading up on telepaths. Okay, yes, maybe I have some sort of empathic ability like T'Ura suggested, I can admit when I might be wrong but I still wouldn't describe it as empathic maybe telekinetic? Psikinetic? I seem to be really good at sensing disruptions in matter and other things related to the physical laws. I think mama sees things the same way I do though, so maybe it isn't some sort of extra sensory thing. Maybe it's just what engineers do and I picked it up from her. She is a physicist after all. Personally, I just think I pay extra close attention, no matter what this parapsychology book says. _

_Anyway, my dream. I was wondering if it was in T'Ura's capabilities to contact me via my dreams because it was so weird for a dream. It was like we were in the same room talking. And that was it. Like, if it was my dream, I think we would have been doing something other than sitting across a table and having a conversation. I remember everything about it. Every detail of T'Ura's demeanor, everything she said, even how warm the room was (it was really really warm and I have the temperature adjusted at around 68 degrees in my quarters because the rest of the ship is like 85 degrees). We just talked about her visiting Earth and how she would enjoy trying grilled plantains. She also said she would like to visit a glacier because she had never seen such a thing and found the idea of massive ice to be fascinating. _

_It was a nice dream though. It made me think of her more. In fact I haven't stopped thinking about her since then. _

_2160.269_

_I dreamed of T'Ura again. We were back on the Ramses and we were talking about the music files that I'd given her. She told me that she liked the Vivaldi cello concertos the best. I asked her where her parents were. She told me Shi'Kahr. She said that she had gone back to live with them when she was thirteen but it was like they were strangers and she never really thought of them as people that she had come from. She said that she sometimes liked to believe that she just washed up on the shore one day and that she was really free to do whatever she wanted to._

_After that we were quiet for a long time. I wanted to say something but I was scared to. I thought I'd wake up if I did. I didn't want to wake up. I liked being there with her. I even remember looking at the rivets in the wall and counting them. _

_Finally, when I'd counted 97 of them I woke up. _

_2160.271_

_We're nearing Romulan space. We have a distress call from the ISS Mercury, amongst others. I'm on duty as long as my body allows me to be. Captain says that Vulcans can stay awake for days and days but none of them can do what I do so this will probably be it for a little while. _

_2160.275_

_We have to find a way to make the B'Jahl's sensors more expansive, that or find a way for me to "see" farther. Allied ships are getting hammered. Two Tellarian ships have been destroyed in as many days. I'm taking a power nap, Dr. T'Tel's orders. She says I'm useless unless I sleep. _

_2160.277_

_T'Ura is here. I don't understand it, but I can feel her in my head, even though I'm awake. She's helping me "see" farther. _

_2160.280_

_I'm beaming to the Helena. Mama is hurt. Badly. All the Romulans in the system are gone now. Oh God, I hope mama is okay. _

_

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_Author's Note: First, let me thank ayachan1412 for plugging along with all these chapters! The final three chapters of this story are in her hands right now. I've sort of had a crazy life for the last few days and I haven't had any opportunity to upload or email chapters as the case may be. I'm going to make a conscious attempt to upload the next eight chapters over the next 8-10 days. Also, thank you all so much for reading, being patient and for your reviews. I love them. _  
_


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any of its associated content.

* * *

Nyota had fallen asleep in her chair, dreams of her great grandmother covered in blood and a strange olive skinned Vulcan girl floating through her head. Nyota was disappointed. She was no closer to knowing how Charles and T'Ura's story ended. She thought it was very likely that T'Ura had been infiltrating Charles' dreams but it explained nothing. Especially the cryptic final passages. Had the two bonded somehow? Was bonding remotely possible for someone like T'Ura? Certainly Charles would have written about such an event if it had happened.

Nyota re-read all of the news clippings that had been contained in the box. She looked at the photos of the crew, all of the Vulcan men in their robes, their faces blank with her grandfather, shorter, stouter and darker than all but one or two, a wide smile on his face. There was no mention of T'Ura. There were no photos that matched any description that Charles had written. Nyota was frustrated.

"Hi Uncle Tyvoc." Nyota said when Tyvoc's face appeared on screen.

"Hello Nyota." Tyvoc nodded at her. She saw that his tongue was brown when he spoke. She shook her head. "To what do I owe your call? I am afraid that I missed you the last time you were here on New Vulcan."

"I know! I was looking forward to seeing you but I understand that recapturing the Favinit plant for domestication was hard work. I'm sure I'll see you though when I'm on leave with the baby."

"Ah yes. That should be happening soon should it not? I am surprised that the baby has not been born. It has been well past the normal gestational cycle of a human." Tyvoc frowned slightly.

"Nope. Not yet. The baby is displaying a strong tendency toward Vulcan DNA in her natal development. I assure you though, I'd really wish that she'd decide to be born already. I'm having something of a hard time here. Who would have thought that a baby that was three quarters human would want to stay in-utero for so long?" Nyota smiled. But Tyvoc looked at her for a very long time, unspeaking. "What's wrong Tyvoc?"

"Nothing. I am simply... surprised at this news. Have you considered a name?" Tyvoc seemed shaken but he quickly hid the surprise on his face.

"I wish Spock's mother was still alive. She would probably be able to answer more questions." Nyota pondered aloud. "I did access her medical records from the checkups she had on on Earth but none of it explains why the baby won't come already." Nyota looked over at Spock and smiled. She had asked that he be there when she called Tyvoc to help her think of questions that she might otherwise miss about things that had transpired on Vulcan in the past. "Anyway, I'm not sure why this one is taking so much time. And yes. I'm thinking of a name. What do you think of the name T'Ura?"

Tyvoc didn't say anything for more than a minute. He just stared at Nyota. Unlike T'Mana, his reaction wasn't one of masked hostility. He seemed to simply be stunned by the mention of the name. Then again, he seemed to be stunned at Nyota's continued pregnancy.

"You never answered my question Nyota. Is there something that I can do for you?" Tyvoc suddenly sounded very serious and very Vulcan. It was often hard for Nyota to imagine him as a Vulcan. He'd always been more relaxed and expressive than any other Vulcan that she'd met.

"Of course." Nyota raised an eyebrow. Tyvoc was not friends with T'Mana and she was fairly sure that she could ask him questions without it getting back to the powerful Vulcan woman. And even if it did, it wasn't like T'Mana would appear on the ship and do something to Nyota. Well, it was unlikely that would be the case. T'Mana did have a somewhat scary reputation amongst Vulcans though. Nyota took a deep breath. "Tell me more about T'Ura Uncle Tyvoc."

Tyvoc only gave Nyota a synopsis of the information that she already knew. He told her that he had been assigned to accompany a very young intelligence officer on the ship that Charles Uhura had been posted to during the war. He said that Charles Uhura had been the most receptive to having Vulcans aboard the ship and that they'd become acquainted. He said that there had been security concerns and that he did not know what had happened after that until Mrs. Uhura had passed away. Tyvoc explained that, after combat ended, he had accompanied Charles to Earth to bury his mother. Tyvoc indicated that he never intended to return to Vulcan, for reasons that he did not elaborate on, and once on Earth, he opted to stay there. Tyvoc settled in Nairobi while Charles, after some time, left again. Tyvoc insisted that he didn't know what became of Charles in the interim and only heard from Charles when he came back to Nairobi years later.

Nyota looked over at Spock wondering if that could be true and wondering what specific questions she should ask. Vulcans found lying to be unfavorable but Nyota also knew that Tyvoc had been disconnected from Vulcan for years. Of course, she knew Tyvoc was capable of just saying no to her if she asked him specific questions, as he had to her grandfather. Nyota wasn't sure what to do next.

"So how is it that you're friends with my father Tyvoc? You must have remained close enough to Charles to know his youngest son." Nyota asked pointedly. Kiano was his parents "change of life" baby, born when Charles was fifty years old, Kioni forty eight. Kiano had been decades younger than his closest sibling.

Again, Tyvoc stared silently at Nyota. Nyota was uncomfortable with Tyvoc's responses. He chose very unusual times to clam up and she knew he wasn't telling her everything because he skipped over major details, like the relationship that had blossomed between T'Ura and Charles. Nyota felt through her link to Spock for suggestions. Nyota spoke again.

"How were you relieved of duty Tyvoc?" Nyota spoke Spock's thoughts. She could see where he was going. "Also, you must have seen her at least once before you were relieved of duty because that had _been _your duty. When she was removed from the Ramses, you were still on duty there. Your real purpose was not as a cartographer was it? You're a xenobotanist and physician. It is illogical that you stayed behind on that ship long enough to accompany Charles back to Earth while T'Ura was moved somewhere else." Something occurred to Nyota and she looked at Tyvoc. "Oh. She never left. You just kept her from him."

"How have you come across your information Nyota?" Tyvoc said finally, the weight and gravity of one hundred and seventy odd years sounding in his voice.

"Why won't you answer me truthfully Tyvoc?" Nyota let her disappointment ring clearly through her voice. After another long silence Nyota shook her head, preparing to disconnect.

"You are a brilliant young woman." Tyvoc rubbed his eyes, suddenly sober. "Vulcans do not break promises Nyota; however, I sense that you will find all the answers that you seek on your own. Your intelligence makes that quite clear." Tyvoc nodded at her, raised his fingers in the familiar V shape and disconnected.

That hadn't gone particularly well. All Nyota had now was information that Tyvoc had promised not to talk about T'Ura. She wondered if it was to anyone or just to her. Maybe T'Mana had already spoken to him. Nyota shrugged. It wasn't an unreasonable request to make about a telepath who was an intelligence officer. Nyota understood that it was highly risky that T'Ura's identity be exposed during her life time, after all, who knows who might target her to prevent her investigations.

Nyota had another thought. T'Mana and her late bond mate Visec had been people heavily connected to rooting out corruption on Vulcan. Nyota knew from T'Mana's response that she must have been acquainted with T'Ura but now she was sure that they probably worked together on occasion if not regularly. After all, Visec had been the head of the Vulcan Security Directorate and part of that work necessarily involved intelligence. Nyota was frustrated. She felt like she knew what Charles had felt when Vulcan intelligence had conspired with Starfleet command to keep him in the dark about moving him off the ship. Nyota also shared another trait with her grandfather. She did not like it.

The next morning Nyota was emailing Basim about his findings and asking him to look for more information, particularly within the Federation archives when Spock approached her from behind.

"Ashayam." Spock stooped to rub his cheek against hers. "Will you be searching for more information all day?"

"Hmm?" Nyota looked up, wrenching her focus from the email. "Oh, I don't know. I have to meet with Len today. He wants to check the baby's vital signs. Apparently he doesn't trust me with a tricorder and the inter-ship email system."

"I am concerned about the amount of effort that you are putting into this quest. It is not unlike your normal work." Spock looked down at Nyota who continued to type, slightly hunched, at the table. "It was one thing when it was simply reading but this search has become something else. It is preventing you from sleeping, you think of it all the time and I believe that it is increasing your blood pressure."

"I'm fine Spock." Nyota looked over her shoulder briefly.

"I am sure that you are." Spock paused. "But I am more concerned about the baby." Nyota stopped suddenly and turned in her seat to look at Spock. "Also, I am surprised that you have stopped on the first journal. I had assumed that you would read them both before contacting Tyvoc."

Nyota had completely forgotten about the second PADD that Spock had gotten to work. She had assumed that once the war was over, the entries would cease. When Spock left to relieve the captain on the bridge, Nyota pulled the PADD from where it had lay on a shelf since Spock had repaired it. When she turned it on she was stunned to discover that it picked up again in 2162 on Charles' eighteenth birthday.

_2162.222_

_I don't mean to hurt my father but I have to do this. He's begging me to stay, but I just can't. I hope that by writing this down, maybe I'll find a way to get him to understand what I'm doing. I think mama would understand, if she were still here. I think that if it were mama that was out there, he would go find her, no matter what happened. _

_I'm going to find T'Ura. I see her in dreams all the time. I know everyone thinks I'm crazy, but I'm not. I can tell the dreams that she sends me from the dreams that are my own. If she's sending me dreams then she's still thinking about me too. _

_

* * *

_Author's Note: Thanks to ayachan1412 for being my beta reader! Woo! Ten down, seven to go! Thank you so much for reading and commenting! _  
_


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any of its associated content.

* * *

"You don't look so great Ny." Basim said when he appeared on Nyota's view screen.

"I'm not feeling too great Basim. But thanks for commenting." Nyota rolled her eyes weakly.

"So...what? Vulcan pregnancies are fifteen months long and your kid is three parts human? It doesn't make sense for you to _still _be pregnant. Why don't they just induce labor?" Basim asked.

"They don't like inducing labor in ordinary pregnancies Basim so I'm absolutely not a candidate for that. All of the scans indicate that the baby is developing like a Vulcan. The last diagnostic indicated that she had increased neural activity in areas of her brain that indicated, to McCoy at least, that she'll probably have Vulcan memory, Vulcan telepathy and all of it." Nyota shrugged tiredly. It had been nearly three full weeks since she'd been on bed rest and her body was exhausted despite her time laying about in her quarters.

"Well, according to the copy of the babu's journal that you sent me, she may be getting telepathy from more than her Vulcan grandfather Ny." Basim furrowed his brow. "We've always wondered about dad you know? Like how he's so smooth and how he always know just what to say. You remember that girl I was dating that completely freaked out?"

"Yeah." Nyota laughed. Both she and Basim had gotten so used to their father anticipating questions that people had and responding to them that when Pabla, Basim's short time girlfriend, had questioned it all three Uhuras had looked at her as though she sprouted another head. Pabla had not stuck around for much time after that. "So did you find anything else out about T'Ura?"

"Not really. I mean the Federation kept a few Vulcan records on file, especially where it related to intelligence and military operations, and some relate to T'Ura but they just list her as an employee with 'special skills'" Basim held his fingers up and made air quotes. "The very last thing I could find about her was that she retired abruptly back in 2164 and received a pension that went to the Vulcanis Lunar colony. There's nothing about her after that, but I haven't yet gotten access to the colony records. I think the Federation only had that information because they'd want to monitor someone like that just in case." Basim shook his head. "Sorry Ny. Not enough to decide whether to name your baby after her."

"It's okay Basim. I still have the other journal to read. I've been taking a break from it, but I'm starting to feel a little better today, so I'll keep at it. Did you find anything else about Tyvoc or our grandfather?"

"The things I found out about Tyvoc were...interesting but predictable." Basim gave a sly smile. "Mostly him slurring his words, belligerence, disruptions and the like. I have no idea how that guy keeps his job."

"He's brilliant Basim. He did engineer a low cost method of growing food in the wastelands of Qo'noS and other places not meant to support life. Besides, if he were a Human scientist, he'd be seen as normal. You know that all the really gifted ones are a little eccentric."

"Yeah. But he isn't Human Ny. I mean for a Vulcan he's like someone possessed. He has little self control, seems to have some grudge against Vulcan and frankly, from the journal? He didn't seem particularly adept at containing his emotions."

"You're right, of course, but he's still a Vulcan, Basim. When he talked to me he said he wouldn't ever break a promise. What if he promised T'Ura that he would never tell a secret that she'd shared with him? We know Tyvoc and T'Mana aren't close." Nyota saw that Basim was rolling his eyes. "Okay, they don't like each other at all. But what if they both made the same promise? It would make sense. Maybe T'Ura thought better of her _communication _with Charles and begged T'Mana to keep him away from her? I bet T'Mana would be sympathetic to someone like her and I bet she'd be the person with the pull to get her out of the intelligence business and set up on a colony." Nyota smiled slightly, proud of her conclusion.

"Hmm." Basim nodded at his sister. "Maybe. I'll make try to get at the colony records again. They're a little harder to get, especially now. I think that T'Mana would know instantly if I tried to find out what she had to do with it." Basim grinned. "You did good Ny! This is a great scoop, even if 'm just keeping it to myself. I'll let you know what I find." Basim smiled once more and then the screen went black. Nyota went to their small bedroom and propped herself up on pillows and began reading again.

_2162.337_

_I'm beginning to think that coming to Vulcan wasn't the best idea. I was fairly sure that they would at least be civil but I can tell that they don't trust me at all. I guess I wouldn't trust me either. Not only am I Human, but I speak Vulcan fluently and I was credited with the success of a Vulcan ship during the war. _

_I know its illogical to Vulcans, but I understand why the Human media wanted to depict my image on the ship and give me credit, although I don't think that the story should have been so skewed. Of course, at the time, I was sixteen. I didn't know much about how all of that worked. Secrecy has never been my thing, although it seems like that's the order of the day around here. _

_It isn't too bad. Mostly I've been here digging through Vulcan informational archives. I didn't think that walking up to someone on the street and asking for T'Ura would get me anywhere so I'm trying to find out more about her; birth records, school records, and about the facilities that children like her would end up in. _

_I am actually enjoying digging around for the information. My written Vulcan abilities certainly need work and this is a great way to test them. I am secretly overjoyed that this new "Federation of Planets" is choosing to adopt English as its standard language. I'm a little surprised that all the other planets went for it. Maybe English is simple to learn. _

_In any event, I haven't made much progress in finding T'Ura. It doesn't help that I haven't seen her in my mind since I got here. It sounds crazy when I write it down like this but I could have sworn it was like she was trying to summon me. Like her appearance was a beacon, leading me here. I wonder if she is alright. So many things could be happening to her now. She could be on some other assignment with some other handler. Maybe it was just me thinking of her. I don't want that to be true. I really felt something. I still feel something for her. I feel like my life, my mind, is wrapped up in hers somehow and that she was calling out to me. _

_Okay. Enough sentiment. I am on Vulcan after all. All I know about her is that she was born to a smaller branch of a clan that seems to be fairly prominent around here. The main clan is called the Ashv'cezh clan. As far as I can tell, the major portion of the clan is based here in Shi'Kahr. Her mother's name was T'Phen and her father's name was Tyren. As far as I can tell from the public records they're both still alive. It appears that they're clerks of some sort with the Vulcan Judicial Council, yet another branch of Vulcan High Command that I have yet to infiltrate. _

_I think I might go to the Ashv'cezh compound and just look around. I doubt I'll see her there, but maybe someone in the area might point me to T'Phen? _

_2162.339_

_I had a little luck at the compound. It wasn't what I expected at all. It was sort of like an enormous rock garden park. Very peaceful and beautiful. I could see lots of people from the city just milling about. Up a steep hill there was an enormous house and no one was going up there. I take it that the house is where the Ashv'cezh reside. _

_I tested my Vulcan and played tourist, asking questions about who was the head of the clan, why they opened the grounds to the public and the clan's history. Most people hurried away but I ran into someone, maybe a groundskeeper, who was happy to give me a lesson on all that he knew. _

_His name was Vamik and he told me that the person at the head of the extended Ashv'cezh clan had been a woman named T'Ean until her death about a decade prior.

* * *

Now it was her daughter T'Mana that was in charge. He told me that the clan was one of the oldest on Vulcan and that T'Ean had sit upon the Vulcan High Council. Her daughter and son in law took over after her death on Coridan. Vamik seemed to believe that these people were incredibly noble people and that was why they left the lower grounds of the estate open to the public. He told me that it was their commitment to the people of Vulcan and the principle of logic that caused them to act so altruistically. Vamik, in fact, would not keep quiet about how much he loved T'Ean. He says that she was just, kind and truly committed to all types of Vulcans, not just those that shared her class. I think that, like on Earth, country folks are probably just a little more friendly and accessible than city people. I like that. I've met a lot of people and kind, mellow, unpretentious people are my very favorite. I liked Vamik. I'm fairly sure he came to the big city from the country. He just has a certain way about him that seems familiar. _

_I didn't get close to anyone who could get me to T'Ura today but Vamik actually offered me a great deal of insight. I can spend the next couple of days researching T'Mana and T'Ean. Maybe T'Mana knows about where true telepaths are sent when they're children. If they're as magnanimous as Vamik says, maybe they'll be glad to help. _

Nyota set the old PADD down and bit her lip as she sunk further into thought. She knew there weren't any other T'Manas in the Ashv'cezh clan. In fact, the mere idea that T'Ura was distantly related to T'Mana was a huge clue in determining who T'Ura was. Now she wondered more about why T'Mana had not wanted to speak to her about T'Ura. Nyota had never heard the name T'Phen before and Nyota knew most of the names of T'Mana's immediate family from her travels to Vulcan. She wondered if natural telepaths were something to be ashamed of. It might make sense, on Vulcan, for someone who could read your emotions without any physical access to you to be shunned to a certain degree. What was the good of so much control and repression in the face of a person who see through all of it and tell what you were thinking.

Nyota took out her own PADD and wrote some notes to send to her brother. She would ask Spock more about what he knew about the culture around telepaths and whether he recognized any of the names that she had learned today. Nyota sunk down further against her bay of pillows and smiled slightly. If she had been at a loss for good Vulcan girls names, she certainly wasn't anymore.

* * *

Author's note: Thanks to ayachan1412 for being my betareader! So she asked me how I came up with a gestation period of 15 months for Vulcan children. Here's my theory: So in Human history, women frequently had a certain, very consistent, amount of time between children due to evolved biological systems (lactation, I know from personal experience, impedes fertility and historically women breast fed for far longer than they do in modernity). I remember reading a sociology/anthropology book where it discussed the general time between children in non-modern society to be about three years due to breast feeding and the need to carry children over long distances. This all got me thinking that maybe Vulcan reproductive cycles evolved to be seven years because pregnancies were longer and Vulcan babies needed more care before a Vulcan mother would/could be prepared to reproduce again (thus Vulcan male reproduction cycles would evolve correspondingly?). Anyway, those are my thoughts. Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any of its associated content.

* * *

Nyota's body was conflicted. She felt an irrepressible urge to get out of her quarters but her back made movement almost impossible. In the mirror, Nyota looked at herself and decided that human bodies were simply not meant to carry a child for this long. She hoped that her trip to sickbay would kill two birds with one stone and that McCoy would be able to give her something for her back pain that was safe for the baby and that the walk to sickbay, accompanied by Spock, would help curb her cabin fever.

She held Spock's hand as he moved slowly, compensating for Nyota's pace. She smiled at him as they walked and passed crew members one by one. Spock, despite the fact that they were bonded and had been together for years, was still rather sensitive about displaying open affection toward Nyota while aboard the ship. Spock had, during the years, become increasingly affectionate toward her but he cringed at doing so publicly and his open display as he walked with her to sickbay was, for Nyota, delightful.

Spock's hand holding certainly took the edge off the fact that Nyota felt completely out of place in the halls of the ship. It had only been four weeks since she was assigned to bedrest but the corridor lights seemed bright and unfamiliar. Nyota wore what could only be deemed a bright green smock; she had grown out of her largest maternity wear more than a month ago and there was nothing in the Starfleet uniform catalog that would fit someone with her current proportions. Nyota felt like her belly arrived in sickbay a full five minutes before she did.

"Hi Jamila." Nyota smiled as Nurse Abdullah helped her onto the examination table.

"Hi Lieutenant. How are you feeling today?" Nurse Abdullah scanned Nyota with a tricorder, taking her vitals.

"I'm okay. My back is killing me. I haven't slept properly in weeks. I'm hoping that you and Len will be able to help me out with that."

"Hmmm." Nurse Abdullah looked at the tricorder readings and frowned.

"Is something the matter Nurse Abdullah?" Spock had been standing back as Nyota had been scanned but now he strode up behind the shorter woman, looking over her shoulder at the screen of the diagnostic device.

"No Commander." Nurse Abdullah shielded the screen from Spock's view, a habit developed after too many years working with expectant fathers. "I just wasn't expecting these results. I'll be back shortly. I'm going to show them Dr. McCoy." And with that the stout little nurse padded off toward McCoy's office.

"What did you see?" Nyota whispered, feeling Spock's worry as it seeped into her mind.

"I believe Nurse Abdullah is correct to consult Dr. McCoy for his interpretations." Spock straightened his spine and looked away from Nyota.

"Spock!" Nyota hissed. "Tell me! If there is something wrong with the baby... I deserve to know." Nyota suddenly felt her cheeks turn hot and her eyes fill with tears. She was being irrational. She took a deep breath and stared at Spock.

"Ashayam." Spock bent at the waist and spoke quietly into to Nyota's ear. "The probability of there being nothing the matter is quite high. More than 96.9812 percent. Please be assured." Spock took Nyota's hand in both of his and squeezed gently. She finally looked up at him and nodded, still thinking of the slightly more than three percent chance that something might go horribly wrong."

When McCoy came out after analyzing Nyota's test results he looked grave. He told Spock and Nyota what they both already knew. Nyota's body was not equipped to handle such a long pregnancy and it had been a medical miracle that it had gone on this long. McCoy said that he had estimated Nyota's initial due date based upon Amanda Grayson's medical records, an amalgamation Vulcan natal histories and their fetus's own development; however, they'd exceeded that date by two months already. McCoy told them that everything was fine for now but that they would have to make a choice within the next few days.

McCoy informed the couple that the time had finally come where the risks of continuing the pregnancy were beginning to outweigh the risks of inducing labor. McCoy soberly showed the expectant parents where their daughter's development was in comparison to both Human and Vulcan fetuses. Fortunately, McCoy also had Spock's natal records that showed where his development was just before his birth. Spock and Nyota both nodded as they took in McCoy's information. It appeared that the baby was not quite within the range that was optimal for her neural development. What McCoy said next surprised them.

"Ordinarily, you two, I would encourage labor within twenty four hours at this point with Uhura's stress levels and based upon these comparisons; however something is unusual. Now, see, just because she's not where she ought to be for a full blooded Vulcan wouldn't bother me since she's three parts Human. However the thing that we keep running into, that we've discussed before, is that she isn't developing as she ought to be for someone with only a small portion of Vulcan DNA. This could just be an instance of odd genetics." McCoy paused and looked between the couple, Nyota's mouth a thin line and Spock, with his hand on Nyota's back, his head inclined toward McCoy. "Like I said, if she wasn't where Spock was, or someone who was fully Vulcan, I wouldn't be concerned. But Vulcans do the vast majority of their specialized neural development at the end of the gestational period, after all of their other development is complete. It makes sense really to get all of the other systems in place first and then move onto higher level cognitive functioning since they'll be preparing to interface with a telepathic people on the other side of it. "

"Dr. McCoy. I truly find the evolutionary natal development of my people to be fascinating however would you please make your recommendation for this situation?" Spock said abruptly, irritation coloring his voice. Nyota's hand found his waist and her touch calmed him.

"Sorry Spock. Sorry." McCoy shook his head. "My point is that your daughter continues, for no apparent reason, to display a higher affinity toward your genetics that her mother's. Look, this is where I have to give you the best information and let you figure it out. In either case, I want this baby born within the next seventy two hours. The choice you two will have to make is this: you can either check into the birthing suite within the next 12 hours and risk interrupting her development slightly while averting other risks slightly or you can wait 48 hours in the hopes that she comes naturally and without the risk of an induced labor, even though the wait carries slightly more risk. The risks are about equal right now, in either case. After the forty eighth hour, however, the risks will increase and I cannot let you continue with this pregnancy. We'll have to induce."

Nyota and Spock slowly walked back to their quarters. They were silent but they were vigorously exploring the pros and cons of McCoy's choice through their bond. They both knew that Vulcans final stages of neural and cognitive development was fast and unusually concentrated to just before birth. Sarek had spoken with his son of his communications with Spock as his mind had completed its final stages. Indeed, Spock was constantly attempting to stimulate the little mind of his daughter and had felt the rapid changes take place. Spock took Nyota's hand again and they exchanged a look. They decided to wait. It would only be a day or two but if the baby came on her own it would be all the better.

_2162.350_

_All of my notes and interviews are finally getting me somewhere! Plus, I dreamed of her again last night. She was so vivid, so real. We talked for what seemed like hours. No, not hours. It just seemed like we shared a mind. Is that possible? It's happened before but now it feels like we were thinking the same thoughts, separate but at the same time united. This is the fourth dream in a week. I feel like I know everything about her. All she wants from life. She said she wants to travel, learn about art. She still loves music. Somehow she saw all of my memories of music and she seemed fascinated by them. We shared them. **That** we did for hours. _

_2162.359_

_T'Mana was incredibly hard to get a hold of. No, that's not it. I think that no one wanted me to get a hold of her. I understand that a Human living on Vulcan without an actual occupation (although for the amount of digging I do through archives, I may've found an alternate career path if enrolling in Starfleet academy doesn't pan out) is suspicious but I just wanted to talk to her. I'm glad that she finally agreed to see me though, the money that mama left me will be running out sooner than later and the manager of the rooming house I'm staying in already gives me the eye even though I pay him on time. _

_She wasn't at all what I expected. She's nearly a foot taller than me. I can certainly see a family resemblance though. She has the same dark skin as T'Ura, the same waist length black hair. I don't see many Vulcan women with such long hair. In fact, most of them seem to keep their hair short, at least above their shoulders. Perhaps hair style is tied to clan membership? She also dresses far more... provocatively when compared to other Vulcan women. T'Ura certainly did not do that, but T'Mana wears bright colors and well tailored clothing, modest as all of the others, but it gives me some sense of... personality? I know Vulcans have personalities but they tend to spend so much time repressing anything that would make themselves stand out that when I was finally presented to T'Ura in that huge office that she has at Vulcan high command I was sure that I'd been brought to the wrong person. _

_Instantly, I liked her better than anyone I'd met on this planet so far. Even old Vamik. Vamik talked about her grandmother being noble but I can't actually imagine that anyone would inspire the word noble more than T'Mana. Her posture alone made me wonder if I were in the presence of royalty. She was kind though, as far as Vulcans go. She didn't talk down to me and instead of assuming that I only spoke Standard, she asked me what language I wished to communicate in. _

_She told me she recognized me from the B'Jahl. She, like other Vulcans, didn't mess about with small talk. She asked me why I'd been trying to contact her for the last fortnight and why I had been snooping around her family's compound. _

_I decided to be honest. Honesty is the best policy is what mama always said. I told her about working with T'Ura. I told her that I thought it was important that I find her, that I had a sense that there was something unfinished between us. I told her that I knew what T'Ura was and that I'd tracked her to the Ashv'cezh clan. I told her that I understood the sensitive nature of T'Ura's work but that anything she could offer me would be a huge help. _

_And that was it. T'Mana looked down for a while but never said anything. She told me I could leave. She didn't seem angry or anything like that (unless she's better than any other Vulcan I've ever met at repressing her emotions) but she clearly wanted me gone. Since she's obviously some sort of higher up, I left without arguing. I hope she understands that I'll be back though. _

_2163.001_

_After a few days with nothing from T'Ura, my new year's eve sleep was filled with her. I've dismissed the possibility that this is just me dreaming of a girl I fancy. Can I even call T'Ura a girl? I guess. She is the same age as me biologically if not chronologically. In any case, I know that she's contacting me psionically. _

_I've learned a great deal more about Vulcan psionics. Having access to their information stores helps. I found absolutely nothing on Earth. I wonder if the Federation knows how secretive they are. Really, the only reason I have access is because of my time on B'Jahl. If I were just an average Terran reporter or researcher, I'd be screwed. _

_Last night T'Ura did something... unusual. She rubbed her forehead against mine. I thought that she was going to kiss me but she never did. She just stood facing me, her hands brushing mine, her forehead pressed against mine. _

_Yes, in a way I'm disappointed that that was the extent of our contact, but at the same time it felt... right somehow. Tomorrow I have another appointment with T'Mana. Suddenly, I'm hopeful.

* * *

_

__Author's note: Thanks to ayachan1412 for being my beta reader! Okay folks, only 5 more chapters left! There's a mystery to solve, a baby to bear, a baby to name and a final explanation for everything! Thanks so much for reading and commenting! I love your theories on where this is all going. :)


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of its associated content.

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"Hey baba." Nyota sighed as Spock adjusted the view screen beside their bed so that it would be easier to see.

"Hey Ny." Kiano smiled at his daughter. "I seem to be the last to know these things, but Sarek has indicated that the baby will be along in a day or so?"

"Yeah." Nyota said weakly. Spock had the energy to tell Sarek of the most recent news and further debate the merits and drawbacks of waiting a bit longer for the birth. After all, of all of their combined family, Sarek was the most well versed in hybrid children. "I would've called you but I'm just not feeling that great baba. I figured that Sarek would tell T'Mana and T'Mana would tell you."

"Well, that is a pretty reliable system." Kiano laughed, his face bearing no creases or lines of age. "Listen Ny, I'll have a big room set up for you Spock and the little one whenever you're ready. If you need to come tomorrow, I'll be ready tomorrow. If you need some time on the ship to recover from the birth, I'll keep everything ready, okay? I don't want you to worry about anything."

"Thanks baba." Nyota smiled back at her father who so rarely looked unhappy. "And thanks for trying to make things easy. Everything has been so" Nyota shook her head "exhausting."

"Is everything okay? I mean, besides you being pregnant for a very long time?" Kiano's face was serious but his eyes were still somewhat mirthful.

"Yes. I mean, I guess so. I just don't know that I'm doing the right thing. What if waiting is the absolutely wrong thing to do? I expected that my pregnancy would be longer than an average Human, but by nearly four months? It just doesn't make any sense baba. Hybridogenesis, parthenogenisis? None of it really covers our situation." Nyota sighed. "I just don't want to be making the wrong choice here. I want my baby to be healthy and happy." Nyota looked down suddenly, afraid of crying again for the fourth time today.

Her father did not respond to her for a very long time. When Nyota finally looked up, he looked sad. Sadder than she'd ever seen him. Sadder than when he had come home to take her away on that night all those years ago. Nyota took a breath and forced a smile onto her face.

"It's okay baba. I'm sure it'll be fine. And maybe she'll come on her own. And if not, we've got access to excellent doctors both here and on Earth that can help if they detect that her development isn't complete and help us to get her where she needs to be."

"It's not that Ny, it's just..." Kiano looked down and again was uncharacteristically quiet.

"No really baba. I need to keep a positive attitude. I just need to know that the very best will come for us and that Spock and I, that we'll be the best parents we can be. I'm sure it'll be okay." Nyota poured more energy into her smile until it reached her eyes.

"Ny, when you get here with the baby? We'll have a talk okay? We'll talk about all of this. I love you so much. You're going to be an excellent mama. Don't worry. You're absolutely right. Everything will be fine for your little one." Kiano was unusually somber, but Nyota could tell he was worried. Nyota's energy lagged further and Kiano excused himself, reminding her that he was ready when she was.

_2163.143_

_So much has been happening since I had a chance to update this journal. Okay, first things first. I met with T'Mana. She was with her husband Visec. Visec is... interesting. I recognized him immediately as related to Tyvoc in some way. They look just alike. I think that if Tyvoc was T'Mana's son, I'd have figured that out already so I'm going to guess that Tyvoc is Visec's brother. That is, unless Visec has children with someone other than T'Mana. Somehow, looking at T'Mana and the way she controls a room when she walks in, I doubt it. _

_Yes, so I met with Visec and T'Mana. Visec is apparently in security and intelligence. He spoke to me in Vulcan. I'm flattered that he thinks my skill in Vulcan is good enough to keep up with him. I was able to mostly keep up, not completely though. From what I gathered, T'Mana had been conferring with him over my request and whether it was feasible. He told me that currently Vulcan's intelligence agents with abilities like those of T'Ura's (he didn't specify what those were so I'm assuming he thinks I know) have been seriously depleted and that they're unable to remove T'Ura from her current assignment; however, she would be coming in soon for debriefing. _

_I felt my mouth go dry then. Really? After all of these years? I might see her? In person? I feel like I talk to her every night, like we've spent our whole lives together and knowing each other. I started sweating before T'Mana started speaking. _

_She said that, as a matter of policy, agents of the type that T'Ura is are monitored. She didn't say how they were monitored, just that they were monitored. She said that one of the reasons that T'Ura was coming in was because they sensed that she was having significant inappropriate telepathic contact. And then she fixed those hard black eyes on me. If I ever thought T'Mana was pretty before, I was wrong. The look she gave me could've turned me to stone. _

_Visec picked up where T'Mana left off. He said that they would call me if it was feasible for me to contact T'Ura in person. They said it would depend on a number of factors and that the only reason they would attempt it was because of my admirable performance on the B'Jahl. _

_Then they sent me on my way. _

_It was weeks before a messenger found me in a library to tell me that T'Mana wanted a conference with me at their compound. _

_I'll have to finish this up later. T'Ura is making a meal and she wants me to help. _

Nyota put the PADD down and stared at it. Despite her stress levels and her exhaustion, she felt her pulse race at what she'd just read. Charles found T'Ura. They had an opportunity to be together. Nyota smiled to herself knowing that she truly was her grandfather's granddaughter. Persistent, motivated by love and ultimately successful, Charles must have convinced T'Mana and Visec to allow him and T'Ura to spend some time together.

Nyota's mind turned to what could have happened next as she labored to the replicator to make lunch for herself. T'Ura had retired in 2164 and Charles had married in 2167. Did T'Ura retire away somewhere with Charles, leaving him a widower of sorts at such a young age? The bond between the two seemed to be so strong that Nyota couldn't imagine that they would just drift apart after so many years of searching and reaching out for the other. Nyota wondered if something had happened to tear them apart. Politics perhaps? Nyota also imagined that T'Mana would protect Charles and T'Ura from any flack. After all, she was friends with Kiano to this day.

But Nyota wondered about that too. She still had no idea how it was that both Tyvoc, who she had no idea was T'Mana's brother in law, and T'Mana had stayed connected to her family despite Charles moving on with his life and marrying Kioni. And why had T'Mana been stridently against talking about T'Ura? Had she done something she regretted? It would make sense, Nyota thought, if both Tyvoc and T'Mana stood closely to the Uhura family out of some feeling of regret. T'Mana might think it the only way to see justice served. Nyota frowned. Hopefully Basim would come up with more. For now though, Nyota was going to eat her sandwich and try not to get too excited about the feeling of her baby turning a circle in her womb.

* * *

Author's note: Thanks to ayachan1412! She's got such a great memory and that really helped with this and the next two chapters. Oh, and speaking of the next two chapters... up next Nyota makes the final connections in solving this mystery with the help of her brother and there's a new character that'll be making an appearance too! Thanks for reading and commenting!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any of its associated content

_

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2163.143_

_Okay. So after T'Mana called me to her house (which is enormous by the way and filled to the brim with little kids, I don't know why I was expecting little Vulcan kids to be as staid as the adult versions, but they weren't, at least not the littlest ones, they bounced off of the walls like my little nephew Diallo does) she stuck me upstairs in a library. It had tons of old fashioned books. I wouldn't have pegged her as a collector, but then it occurred to me that maybe print books were contemporaneous with her lifetime. _

_After she left me there for hours she finally came back up with tea. I was trying to be angry but something about T'Mana sort of makes you forget that. I guess I'll call it charisma. I'll try to transcribe what we said as best I can, she spoke in Standard so it'll be easier:_

_T'Mana (T): I understand that you have been looking for our T'Ura for some time. _

_Me(M): Yes. I think so. _

_T: I understand you lost your mother during the Battle of Cheron_

_M: Yes. It was very unfortunate. _

_T: I grieve with you. Your losses have been significant. _

_M: I suppose. No more significant than others who lost families,wives, children. _

_T: Yes... S'kal informed me that you were very insightful. He indicated that he was surprised. _

_M: Captain S'kal? _

_T: Yes. We received his reports directly as he had... a unique individual aboard his ship. _

_M: You mean me? Why do I sense that you have known that I've been here, that I'd be coming here for a very long time (I could've told her why I sensed that, but I'll get to it later)_

_T:Knowing such things is something that I am tasked with. Let us move directly to the point. You wish to see T'Ura. _

_M: Yes. _

_T: I am aware that you know of her unique abilities. I have discerned that she has been communicating with you. What I do not know is when you became aware of them. Did you discover them as a result of your own or did she tell you? _

_M:I'm not sure how to answer that. _

_T:Truthfully. _

_M:Truthfully? Truthfully I don't believe it can be distilled to one option or the other. I believe both played a role in my discovery. _

_T: ...I see. Yes. I suppose your logic is sound. This will assist us in determining what reprimand will be appropriate. _

_M:Wait? What? _

_T:T'Ura is an intelligence officer. She is bound by duty to the Vulcan High Command. She is not meant, under any circumstances, to share the nature of her mission. She must be punished. _

_M:You didn't tell me that! Where is she. I thought would let me see her. _

_T: Obviously your logic is flawed. Perhaps by excessive emotion. Of course, some of that could be related to T'Ura's tampering in your mind... young women like her... perhaps it is best left unsaid. Our servant Vamik will escort you out. _

_I was so mad. Livid. I went back to my domicile and I hit the wall. I even broke a finger. I've been studying Vulcan meditation though. I decided to try that. And it worked. And you know what else? For the first time? I was able to connect with T'Ura instead of her coming to connect with me. After an hour of meditation, after I was calm, I was able to focus and I decided to focus on her. _

_It was a completely different experience. I was able to say what I needed to say, to explain what I had been going through instead of waiting for her to search it out in my mind. She responded the same way she always does, that unnerving feeling of being both in my head and not. She said she knew she would be punished, but that she had no regrets. She called me her t'hy'la, she said I was the first that she'd ever had and that if things had been different, if we had not been from different worlds, she would not be subject to punishment for telling me her secrets. She said that if things could be different, I would be expected to know these things. She was upset then. I could feel it. Not just under the surface or fleeting, like the time that she smiled, but I could truly feel a wave of resentment and anger. And then she was gone. _

_Thinking back on it now, I guess that me feeling her emotion broke my focus. I wanted to make it better. She called me her t'hy'la. Of course I did. What sane man wouldn't want to soothe the woman he loved?_

_2163.150_

_So after that, I decided to revisit my search about what happens to natural, non-touch telepaths that are born on Vulcan. It's fascinating really, the amount of information that is right there on Vulcan that you would never access from Earth. I guess they don't have a need to hide the information from themselves. Not to mention in the time that I've been here, nearly a year, I've seen maybe five other Humans and they were delegates from the Federation council. _

_So it seems that the things that T'Ura is able to do is connected to the strength of her mind over some congenital or recessive condition. It would be like a genius being born on Earth, it's something that is largely innate but fostered over time. In some ways, she's millions of miles ahead of her counterparts in the development of her cognitive abilities but in other ways, she gets slowed down. While other Vulcan children are learning about meditation and controlling the expression of their emotions, she's learning not to telepathically suggest something to a crowd of people. I guess it's somewhat similar. She's learning to reign in her mind while other children learn to reign in their emotions. Unfortunately for her, she didn't start learning to reign in her emotions until later. At least that is what I think, based upon the literature I've found. _

_I'll admit that the reading was difficult. It is scientific literature and it is in Vulcan, both make things more difficult but I'm fairly sure I've gotten more than just the gist of it. And it helps. It helps me to understand her and what she's going through. She was sent into the war in an emergency like I was, but my mom was always just a transporter away and I grew up with my mom there to comfort me. T'Ura, I don't think she had anyone. I still haven't found out who her original handler was. Still, it had to be so hard to be thrust into so many situations without someone to truly confide in. My mom told me all about what to expect and what to consider before I volunteered to help in the war effort, first from monitoring towers on __Kilimanjaro and then on the ships when they figured out what I could do. _

_Anyway, after I did all of that research, I decided to find out what T'Ura meant when she said 'that if things were different'. I wanted to find out if there was a a way for her to avoid punishment. Part of me feels like T'Mana tricked me but at the same time, I should have been more aware of what was going on. I promised not to tell anyone about T'Ura and I broke that promise. I was just so excited about the possibility of seeing her again. At last. _

_Still. No excuses. I went back to T'Mana and Visec. I told them that it wasn't fair, that I was T'Ura's t'hy'la. I knew what t'hy'la meant. Sort of. I knew it meant 'more than friends' but I wasn't quite expecting their response. _

_2163.161_

_Did I mention that Raal was beautiful? It is. Being here with T'Ura is better than I could have ever expected. I wish my mother could have lived to see something like this. I bet that she would have loved T'Ura too. _

_Okay, so back to my story. For some reason, I thought that T'Mana would suddenly deny my statement and tell me that it was impossible for T'Ura to have that sort of relationship with me, but she didn't. Visec simply said "Yes. It is as we thought." _

_I can't get a read on Visec. He's totally different that T'Mana. It sounds dumb but I think of him as a Viking and her as Persian queen. I guess my Terran ways are stuck with me, but still, he feels like a Viking to me. I have read a great deal of Vulcan history and he strikes me as the guy who was always ready for battle, fighting for mates and chopping people up on the battlefield. He's huge. His hair is black but he's much paler than T'Mana. Of course, I have the feeling that you might have to be that big to feel confident enough to stand next to T'Mana. Don't get me wrong, I know lots of guys who love tall women but T'Mana is like a peacock. She can't show up to a party with a little wren. _

_Still, despite his hugeness, I sense that he's the coolheaded one. Just looking at him, I can tell that he thinks long and hard about everything and every result that might come of it. I bet he's the single person who can tell T'Mana to stop and she'll actually listen. If she's fire, then he's ice. I was not at all surprised when he announced that they would take me to T'Ura because it was the most logical course of action. _

_Okay. Maybe I was a little surprised; however, if someone was going to say it, I figured it would be Visec. _

Spock had rigged the view screen in their bedroom to be remote controlled so that Nyota wouldn't have to get up or strain to answer it. She was officially, according to McCoy's readings, embarking on her fourteenth month of pregnancy. If she went another month she would have a full term Vulcan baby. She shook her head at this thought and watched as her brother appeared on screen.

"Hey Ny. You doing okay? Dad says you're not in the best shape." Basim said excitedly.

"I've been better. I'll be better. The baby will be here tomorrow, one way or the other. I'm just going to wait out the next eighteen hours and hope for the best." Nyota paused. "What's new with you?"

"I found something on your mystery lady." Basim beamed at her through the screen.

"Oh yeah?" Nyota sat up a bit, her interest piqued.

"Yeah. But first, tell me what you've found out so far from the second journal, at least since your last email." Basim rattled everything off at a fast pace. He seemed very eager to share his news. Some things never changed. Basim never outgrew his excited and wiggly nature.

"I haven't found much else. Charles is reunited with T'Ura, I guess they're living in Raal together. I am guessing that Visec is the one who made the final decision put them back together. I'm not sure if that was with T'Mana's blessing or not. Most of the stuff is just his perspective on T'Mana, Visec and Vulcans in general. I looked at the log list and there're only a few more entries. I don't know that they'll reveal what happened between the time that T'Ura went away and the time that Charles came back to Earth." Nyota shrugged lightly.

"I know what happened to her." Basim was literally bouncing in his seat.

"You do?" Nyota leaned toward the screen.

"Yep. I even found a picture, but I'm calling in favor to get it. Top secret stuff." Basim's eyes shown brightly.

"Okay... so spill. What's the news."

"She died in 2190." Basim said. "She contracted Tuvan Syndrome, apparently she developed it while she was working on Vulcanis." Basim looked down at his notes.

"Oh." Nyota frowned. "That's sad. That's such a long, slow disease to have."

"Yeah." Basim said. "I'm pretty sure she was happy though. I found out that she was teaching both the Vulcan lyre and violin to small children. Didn't Charles say she loved music?"

"He did." Nyota felt her mood improve.

"Her records indicate that she died unbonded and almost all of her property, along with her continued pension from her work for the Vulcan government, went to the school she taught at when she died. It was a special school Ny. It was for kids like her to be around others instead of removed. It's actually still operating on Vulcanis and named for her."

"Oh that's great Basim. That's so great!" Nyota smiled fully now. "She sounds like a great lady. Brave, persistent, making things better for others based on her own experiences."

"I take it you've found a name for the munchkin?" Basim grinned.

"I think so." Nyota said, her voice filled with relief.

"Well, there's one more thing." Basim said slowly. "I said most of her property went back to the school. Some of it didn't. Some of it went into trust that was held by the leader of her clan to be held for a K. Uhura."

"Wait, what?" Nyota cocked her head to the side.

"You think that's dad?" Basim had a look in his eye.

"Dad wasn't born until 2195. How could she have left him something before he was born?"

"I don't know Ny." Basim's eyes twinkled in the same way that their father's did. "Maybe she was psychic."

"Oh God, you've been waiting to do that all day haven't you?" Nyota groaned.

"Oh come on! It was funny!" Basim protested. "Oh, hey, that photo that I got from the Vulcanis archives is coming through to you. Go check your email and let me know what it looks like. It's coming straight to you."

Nyota nodded and climbed out of bed. Nyota's brother was a terrible prankster and she bet that he'd made up the whole thing about the property just to get that line in. Still, it was nice to know that T'Ura was the kind of woman that had turned out nicely. Nyota would read the rest of the journal later. Whether Charles and T'Ura broke up or had been kept apart, she had been his first love. They'd longed for the other and had not given up until they found each other. Nyota actually thought it was remarkable that an eighteen year old would stay committed to a woman that he had known for such a short time. Nyota thought it really showed the character of both Charles and T'Ura that they'd been able to do what they'd wanted with their lives after the dire circumstances that surrounded their adolescences.

"Nyota? Why are you up?" Spock walked in just as Nyota stooped to check the email from her brother.

"Oh, I'm just checking my email. I have every intention of going back to bed in a moment." Nyota said over her shoulder. "Basim is still on the line in the bedroom."

"I take it that there has been no further change in your condition?" Spock said as he looked Nyota over.

"Nope." Nyota turned toward him as the old image downloaded. "I think I came up with a name though. What do you think about T'Ura Charlotte?"

"I take it that you've found sufficient information regarding the life of your grandfather's T'Ura?"

"Yeah. She started a school on Vulcanis, she taught music there. So do you think that name is suitable? I'm so impressed by my grandfather, I thought Charlotte would be a reasonable homage to him too. T'Mana'll get over it right?"

"I'm sure. I think T'Ura Charlotte Amanda would be an even more appropriate name." Spock said formally.

"Of course." Nyota moved toward Spock and kissed him on the cheek. "I like that even better."

Nyota turned back around and looked at the photograph. It couldn't be right. The woman in the picture looked just like her, but Vulcan. Nyota thought that she looked like Kioni Uhura but she'd been wrong. She looked like this young Vulcan woman. Nyota shook her head as she transferred the call in the bedroom to the living area. "Basim? This can't be right."

"What do you mean? What's the serial number on the photo?" Basim asked.

"This woman... did you see the photo Basim?" Nyota was suddenly very confused and felt somewhat lightheaded. She felt Spock at her arm.

"Nyota, please calm yourself."

"Spock look at her! There has to be some mistake right?" Nyota stopped and rolled her eyes. "Very funny Basim. Ha ha. Okay. You finally got me. What did you do? Use a photo manipulation program? This plus the stuff about ? Great."

"Sis, I don't know what you're talking about. That info about K. Uhura wasn't made up and I haven't even seen the photo. Like I said, I had to call in some favors and one of the conditions was that it could only be sent to one person and it couldn't be disseminated any further. I thought it made sense to have it sent to you."

Nyota would have responded to Basim's statement but just then, her water broke.

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Author's note: Thanks to ayachan1412 for being my betareader. Is this a mean place to stop? Maybe. Up next a new baby, more connections are made and Nyota reacts and the full story starts to emerge. Thank you all so much for reading this story and for your comments.


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any of its associated content.

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For all of the complications associated with her pregnancy, the labor was incredibly fast. Apparently baby T'Ura was ready to come after all. Nurse Abdullah had decades of experience as a midwife and between her and Spock, Nyota didn't think that the labor could have gone better. McCoy kept T'Ura under observation for some time but afterwards he happily declared her to be healthy, fully developed and happy. In the days after T'Ura was born, other members of the crew came by and marveled at her size, a full six point five kilograms, her gracefully pointed ears and her lovely newborn smell.

For T'Ura's part, she quietly regarded her visitors in between being well swaddled and breast fed in her mother's arms and cuddling against her father's incubator like warmth. She was very beautiful, resembling her father on a tiny scale but with skin the color of buttery caramel and a head full of thick dark curls. Even as she got used to the light on the outside of her mother, one could see that she had Amanda Grayson's eyes and Nyota's long thick lashes to frame them. Despite her level of exhaustion, Nyota could feel Spock's overwhelming sense of pride and contentedness when he held her in his arms through their link. All of it was enough to make Nyota forget about the conversation with her brother and the photo that he'd sent, that is, until they had to pack to leave for San Francisco.

"What do you think Spock?" Nyota said as she held T'Ura, wrapped in a warming blanket, against her chest for her third feeding of the day.

"She does bear a striking resemblance to you." Spock sat at the table and peered at the photograph. "I'd also say that she resembles your father in a number of ways."

"No, I mean about what to say to them when we get to San Francisco."

"There is always the option of not going." Spock had become somewhat possessive in regard to time with his daughter. He had already felt flares of annoyance when Nyota's subordinates came to see the baby after she'd been discharged from sickbay.

"No Spock." Nyota shook her head. "We can't avoid them forever. Besides, don't you want Sarek to see T'Ura Amanda Charlotte?"

"You will eventually have to decided the order of the names Nyota. You cannot continue to switch them into perpetuity."

"No I don't." Nyota cooed at T'Ura softly, lifting her to lay a light kiss on her forehead. "I'll keep switching it until it doesn't suit me." Nyota smiled as her two week old daughter gurgled softly.

"They know of the name that we've chosen. And did your father not indicate that he wished to talk to you about something? If you still believe it is in our family's best interest to go, then perhaps simply arriving and dealing with it "head on" would be appropriate."

"I think that's sound advice." Nyota leaned T'Ura against her shoulder and patted her back gently. "Do you think I should take her to sick bay with me for my follow up with Dr. McCoy?" Nyota was hesitant to leave T'Ura behind. She had no idea that she'd be capable of loving someone so much. She loved her family and she loved Spock but nothing was quite like this. It made her puzzle even more over her own mother's distaste for her. Handing T'Ura over to Spock, Nyota wondered if her mother's disdain had something to do with some alien nature that she had perceived in her first born child. Nyota shook her head as she walked into sickbay.

McCoy had been surprised when, just before discharging Nyota she'd quietly asked him to do a full diagnostic analysis of her genetic make-up with particular emphasis on anything that might not read as Human. The initial results showed nothing out of the ordinary but McCoy had emailed her the previous day, requesting her presence after a review of more in-depth findings.

"Hey Len." Nyota said. She wasn't quite back to her old self after only two weeks, but she was able to fit into a pair of jeans and a deep purple sweater. And her boots fit again, at long last.

"Lieutenant." McCoy ushered her into his office and closed the door. "Frankly, I don't know how I could've missed this before. I was sitting there shaking my head at how your daughter could possibly be developing along a Vulcan stage and I never thought to check _you _for recessive traits."

"I don't know why you would. Up until I went into labor I was under the impression that I was fully Human. I mean yes, I was fluent in the majority of Earth languages by the time I was seven years old but my mother was a genius. I thought my excellent memory was related more that than anything else. There's nothing else about me that would trigger any red flags for being Vulcan is there?" Nyota asked.

"Beyond having a majority Vulcan child?" McCoy smiled. "Nope."

"So you found recessive genes huh? Something from my real grandmother? How can that even happen Len? Sarek and Spock always told me that Amanda needed medical help to conceive with Sarek."

"Well, it's wholly possible that they just needed help Uhura." McCoy nodded. "There're millions of same species couples that require assistance to conceive every year. It doesn't mean they're not biologically compatible. Let's assume for a moment that children born of Vulcan and Human parents are similar to interspecific hybrids versus intergeneric hybrids. The former would be unlikely to mate within their own habitats due to various circumstantial matters but they wouldn't require specialized fertilization techniques if they did. Further, things change a bit when you alter who is offering who fertilization."

"Are you suggesting that Human sperm is all powerful against almost any ovum?" Nyota raised an eyebrow at McCoy.

"I would never suggest such a thing." McCoy laughed hard for a while before regaining his composure. "I'm just suggesting that it is not as unlikely as you might think for a Human male and a Vulcan female to conceive without assistance. There's risk of course and generally, you wouldn't think that the child would be fertile, especially if you think of Vulcan-Human children as intergeneric hybrids, but stranger things have happened obviously."

Nyota sighed.

"Have you spoken to your father about any of this? Is it possible that he, I don't know, didn't realize?"

"I don't think so." Nyota leaned back in her chair. "My brother found evidence that T'Ura left him her property in 2190, five years before the day he was supposedly born. My grandfather returned to earth in 2165 and married my grandmother a year later. My step grandmother I guess. I have no idea."

"So what, your grandfather, his wife and everyone who knew them conspired to keep it secret that your father was half Vulcan? I've seen your father Uhura. He looks like he's 35 at the most. If they're trying to keep it under wraps, choosing 2195 as his date of birth didn't help."

"Actually Len, that makes a lot of sense considering all the strangeness that I've encountered around this journal. It's so bizarre. I guess my father just had no idea what was in them Spock had to get them working after all." Nyota paused. "I never knew my grandparents. I just wanted some connection to them, to know what their lives were like." Nyota shook her head. "I mean, I guess I haven't really lost anything because I never knew them. In fact, my grandfather and I were more alike that I imagined... but still, it feels like something is off."

"Well Uhura, think of it this way." McCoy stroked his chin. "You found out that your grandfather was a good man. You found out your grandmother was a good woman. You liked them enough to name your daughter after them. Why not like them enough to claim them as your grandparents? I'd be proud. The stuff with the rest of your family? You'll just have to listen to what they say and decide then. That's what I think at least."

The Enterprise was out of range for long range beaming directly to Earth so Nyota had a few weeks in the beta quadrant before she and her little family would arrive to face her father. Spock was on paternity leave and contentedly attending to all of T'Ura's needs, giving Nyota some time to finish the journal.

_2163.178_

_Visec told me that T'Ura was compromised. He said that it would be impossible to continue to employ her if she kept communicating with me and that the most logical course of action was to allow us to see each other in order to determine whether she could again be committed to her position. _

_I thought about telling them that I knew for a fact that T'Ura had no desire to retain her position but I'd already opened my big mouth once. _

_A few days later I got a knock on the door. This woman, I could tell, was T'Ura's mother. Her hair was short, but she looked just as beautiful as T'Ura. The same big dark eyes, the same slight frame, the same smooth olive skin but there was something about her that wasn't friendly. I, better than most, know what Vulcan hostility looks like. T'Ura has always seemed friendly to me. _

_T'Phen didn't bother speaking in Standard. I guess she's one of those Vulcans that disagrees with the choice of the Federation. She told me that I was unsuitable. She said that she had never fought her clan on anything but she would fight them on this. She said that she didn't send her daughter away, didn't put so much effort into her abilities so that she could take up with a common Human. _

_I really didn't know what to say. I'm not really about saying cruel things just to say them. I could have told her that her daughter didn't think of her as a mother, or that T'Ura didn't care what she thought. I didn't though. I just told her that she would do what she thought best as would I and that we'd both see what came of it. _

_I guess it's hard, making those sorts of choices for children. If I ever have any, I'm going to be like my parents. They encouraged me instead of pushing me and they let me make my own choices. Sometimes, when I was younger I wished that they'd just chose for me and make it easier, but now I can see that if they had done that I would have never been able to make the hardest choices on my own. I certainly wouldn't have volunteered to go into space and assist in the war and I probably would have never gotten up the courage to come here alone, in the hopes of finding her. But I did and I knew it was the right thing because I'd be seeing her soon. _

_2163.195_

_What happened next really did surprise me. T'Phen was very serious. I guess she may've found me a little flippant. She petitioned the high council and asked that Visec be censured and enjoined from his plan. I never saw what was actually happening, I found out everything later. _

_So from what I can tell the council delayed Visec's plans to put us together until both T'Phen and Visec could present more evidence and then they'd make a decision. T'Mana is a judge of some sort though so T'Phen requested that T'Mana and anyone else associated with her be removed because her husband was one of the parties. I don't think that T'Phen knew that she was shooting herself in the foot on that one. I was pretty sure that T'Mana would have instantly decided in her favor. _

_But then something strange happened. I was coming out of the library at twilight and two men approached me. They told me to come with them. I may not be the smartest guy on the block but I know not to go with two Vulcan men into the night. I was about to run but then, just as if she were standing next to me, I heard T'Ura tell me to relax. I went with the men and they took me to, of all people, T'Mana. _

_She beamed with me to Raal and said "I have been removed from this matter in all official capacities. It is no longer required that I remain neutral. Something that most Vulcans will not share is that there are varying forms of logic. There is logic that is self serving and there is logic that serves the masses. I am, at this time, to apply logic that is self serving." _

_I guess that was her justification for going behind the Vulcan High Council's back. I was not expecting that from T'Mana, the lady who could probably turn me into stone.

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Thanks to ayachan1412 for being my beta reader! Okay, a few of you guessed what I was up to-- it's been hinted at through the vast majority of my stories, so good job you guys :) . Up next Tyvoc's role in everything is explained and Kiano tries his best to explain things to Nyota.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any of its associated characters

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Nyota lay on the sofa with T'Ura sleeping on her chest. They would be leaving for Earth today. Nyota had finished the journal. It ended without any mention of what drove Charles and T'Ura apart. In the last entry, Charles described how happy he was to be with T'Ura and that his months with her in person, "sharing a mind" as he had put it, were everything he had ever hoped. Nyota had her suspicions that T'Phen had been successful in convincing the council that T'Mana and Visec were plotting behind everyone's back to pair her daughter with a Human. If Spock and Amanda had encountered prejudice, Nyota could not imagine what Charles had faced decades earlier.

Nyota had looked back over the old photos in the box. She still couldn't recognize the two Vulcan men standing beside her grandfather and Kioni; however, based on Charles' description she guessed that it was Visec and a much younger Tyvoc, one that had not been ravaged by the effects of chocolate. Something else that struck Nyota was how much Kioni looked like T'Ura. Truly, the only difference between the two women appeared to be their skin tone and hair style. They had the same enormous dark eyes, the same body type and they even had similar bone structure. Nyota was a little sad that Kioni had probably been chosen because she filled a hole left by her husband's real true love. Then again, Nyota considered, sometimes that is simply how love began; it probably took on a life of its own when Charles realized that Kioni was probably not at all like T'Ura. But maybe she was. Nyota had never heard a bad word spoken about Kioni and she knew that Kioni loved Kiano with everything she had. It was likely that Kioni's level headed kindness endeared her to Charles in the same way that T'Ura's had.

"Nyota? Are you prepared to leave?" Spock looked around the corner at her.

"Yes." Nyota sat up slowly as to not wake the baby. "I suppose I'm ready as I'll ever be."

T'Ura was wrapped tightly and Spock held her in his arms to ward against the cool San Francisco afternoon. Spock had sent everyone in their family a message regarding the birth of T'Ura Amanda but since then, with the exception of Basim and Sarek, Nyota hadn't spoken to anyone. She wasn't sure if T'Mana, Tyvoc and her father were avoiding her or not, but at most she'd received a single email. She'd emailed her father to let him know when she would be arriving and assumed that she would still be welcome. When the cab driver dropped them off at her father's house and carried their bags to the door Nyota hesitated before ringing the bell.

The door opened before she was able to think too hard, however. Sarek stood, his back straight as ever. Nyota exhaled in relief.

"Hi Sarek." Nyota smiled up at him.

"Greetings Nyota." Sarek said as he ushered the family inside. The house was stiflingly hot. Nyota glanced at Spock, who seemed relieved to be out of the cool day, and then around the foyer. There was no sign of her father. "I take it you are well?"

"I'm fine thank you Sarek. Thank you for asking. Do you want to see T'Ura? You'll probably have to pry her from Spock's arms."

Sarek moved toward Spock and gazed down at the little bundle that he held. Sarek's face suddenly went soft and his eyes looked gentle. Nyota had no doubt that the first thing that he noticed about his first grandchild was that she had his wife's eyes. Sarek gently drew T'Ura's hand out and wrapped it around his fingertip. Sarek's eyes closed and he seemed to be listening for something. Nyota was going to ask him what he was doing but she didn't want to interrupt.

"Ny?" Kiano spoke from behind Nyota.

"Uh. Hi." Nyota froze, not really knowing how to address someone who she was pretty sure had been lying to her for her entire life. Nyota was not angry exactly. She knew the important parts about her father, that he loved her and encouraged her and those things would never change; however, she realized that she had no idea what made him the man he was today. She didn't even know his real birth date.

"Father. Please help carry our bags upstairs? I will show you what T'Ura does when she is free of her swaddling blankets. It is fascinating." Spock said, anxious to excuse himself. Sarek complied quickly, causing Nyota to wonder how much of all of this that Sarek already knew. Nyota took a deep breath and faced her father.

"So. How are things?" Kiano asked bashfully.

"Things are fine." Nyota shrugged awkwardly. "T'Ura is great. She just does something new everyday, it's really amazing. Spock is great with her of course, he's her walking talking incubator."

"T'Ura." Kiano shook his head. "I guess I owe you an explanation."

"Yes. I think that might be nice."

Nyota and Kiano sat in two large easy chairs that faced each other near the window. Nyota explained what she had already pieced together from the journals, from Basim's research and from her interactions with T'Mana and Tyvoc. Kiano paused for a long time before speaking. He was unusually strained for words.

"Well, I guess I should start with Tyvoc." Kiano said at last.

"Why Tyvoc?" Nyota said quietly, puzzled.

"Well, it seems right. Since he is basically responsible for the way that everything unfolded." Kiano said earnestly.

"Oh." Nyota's eyes stretched. She wasn't sure that she was entirely ready to have all the details filled in. She thought that recovering from the shock of the initial information was all over but it only just occurred to her the depths of the information that she didn't have.

"Tyvoc was one of three brothers. You know about Visec, but you probably didn't know about Tyren." Kiano paused. "Tyren was the middle brother and he was special, like T'Ura was. He wasn't bonded to anyone so when he met T'Ura's mother there was a dust up about whether he, being both from a less respectable clan and a man who had made few accomplishments with his gift, could possibly be with T'Phen. T'Phen was a very young widow. T'Phen wasn't a part of the main family that T'Mana was a part of. They were distant country relatives that had come to help T'Ean, T'Mana's mother, with a project. That's how T'Phen met Tyren." Kiano smiled. "Confused yet?"

"Nope. I got that Tyren wanted to marry beyond his class. So what happened that T'Mana was able to bond with the older brother?"

"Well, it's interesting. Visec was very gifted himself. Not in the same way as his brother but he'd attracted much notice as a child. Apparently T'Ean thought that he had potential beyond his rank, although T'Mana will tell you that she told her mother to bond her to young Visec after meeting him at a chess tournament. Of course T'Ean tried to practice what she preached. It was really the country relatives that were more stuck on tradition. T'Ean wanted equality and merit to rule the day over high birth." Kiano looked off into the distance, remembering something very far gone.

"Okay so I'm guessing that T'Mana or her mother pulled some strings to allow Tyren and T'Phen to bond since they were the leaders of the clan?"

"Yes. Something like that. I wasn't around then so you'd be better off asking Tyvoc or T'Mana about it if you're really curious." Kiano paused. "But back to Tyvoc. Tyvoc, was perfectly content with a bondmate from his own class. He got along very well with a girl named T'Oun and they had a few children before the war began. The P'Jem bombing killed one of their sons. Tyvoc never recovered from that. He always blamed T'Mana, her mother and his own brother for allowing things to get so far. He thought that, since they were part of the High Council, that they were part of the problem. He blamed the Vulcan High Council for not evacuating the area when the Andorians struck. That's when he started with the chocolate."

Kiano went on to explain that despite her bond mate's venom toward the government, Tyvoc's wife took a position on an exploratory vessel. T'Oun was a xenobiologist and Tyvoc, although he started out was a physician, was a xenobotanist. Their lack of high status tended to make their discoveries less known; T'Oun thought it would help her career if she joined the crew of a space craft. When Vulcan joined the fight against the Romulans, her ship was converted to a war ship and she continued to serve. Tyvoc, however, was quite content ignoring the war until his remaining children perished. When Tyvoc heard that his brother's only daughter would be sent in, alone, after all of the other telepathic agents had been compromised or eliminated, he volunteered to accompany his niece into the war to ensure that another child from their family would not die for Vulcan. Tyvoc was not a military officer and he ultimately asked Visec to find a way for him to be stationed near T'Ura while she did her work. Kiano asserted that, if not for Tyvoc's initial friendship with Charles, it was very unlikely that T'Ura would have ever communicated with him. If T'Ura had been alone when she boarded the Ramses, it was highly likely that she would have never spoken to Charles at all. Tyvoc's unorthodox style and interactions with Charles allowed T'Ura to sense that they were similar, that she could trust Charles, that Humans and Vulcans could be friends, not just colleagues during a war.

"Okay. So tell me about T'Ura... your mother." Nyota said. She wanted to know more about T'Ura's upbringing and why she had been sent away and if her father was like her.

"Well." Kiano sighed deeply. "She really didn't want the life that she'd been dealt. She didn't like being isolated as a child. You probably guessed that from the school that she opened on Vulcanis. She opened it a few years after I was born so I wouldn't have to grow up like she did. She wanted to immerse herself in art and culture. Mostly though, I think she longed for other people."

"So are you... like her? I mean we've always joked about it but really?" Nyota asked.

"In some ways I'm like her." Kiano leaned back. "In some ways I'm not." Kiano was vague. He fished in his pocket and pulled out a small utility tool. He pricked his finger on one of the small blades. "Green blood. No touch telepathy and my internal organs are configured more like a Human than a Vulcan, although it's not really quite right for either species. I'm sure there's more. Tyvoc is really the only doctor that I've seen through the years. He's good. The Vulcan Science Academy certainly trains its students to be diverse and thorough. Still, he's not particularly invested in doing a full workup on me. I've never really been interested either. My health, since I left Vulcanis and moved in with T'Mana, has always been pretty consistent."

Nyota's eyes widened again. Kiano explained that, when he got older and it was clearer that he would not have the sort of mind that his mother had she decided, after talking to T'Mana, to give him the experiences that she had never had-- life amongst people. Being raised among T'Mana and Visec's children certainly had merits that living on Vulcanis did not. Further, T'Ura thought that it might shield Kiano from the rapid decline from her illness. T'Ura trusted T'Mana because she had brought Charles to her despite the opposition.

"Ny, my life on Vulcanis was... difficult. Imagine the low view of Humans during that time on Vulcan and then amplify it by 20 times. Colonies frequently are the last to embrace new ideas and movement forward. They're not always privy to the events that act as catalysts for changing perspectives. They develop apart. Sometimes that development is more progressive based on the circumstances that the colony faces, but often it's stagnant at best." Kiano looked his daughter in the eye. "T'Ura had no experience in what motherhood required. She had never been mothered. She had no frame of reference for what life was like for me. T'Mana... T'Mana saw what I needed to thrive. Even on Vulcan, in T'Mana's care, I was treated like everyone else."

"So how is it that no one knew about you? I've been to Vulcan with you. The Vulcans always doubted you. They always frowned on you for T'Mana's recommendation."

"I don't look Vulcan Ny. It was easy for Vulcans to assume that I was fully Human. Especially as part of T'Mana's household. After all, she was always defending the rights of aliens on Vulcan. And even then, it wasn't as if I was famous. I had a strong mind and unique abilities, not as strong or unique as T'Ura's, but without the need to understand my abilities in the way that she had, I was able move through Vulcan educational materials quickly. I wasn't required to complete schooling in Shi'Kahr. I'd already finished it with my... with T'Ura on Vulcanis."

"Hmm." Nyota frowned. She was doing her best not to react to all of this information, this secret life, overly emotionally. She was sure that, eventually, her father would share a very good reason for keeping all of this from everyone. Beyond her desire to know why he would live a lie, Nyota was struck by one other thing. "You never refer to her as your mother. Why?"

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Author's note: Thanks to ayachan1412 for being my beta reader. Ayachan1412 asked me more about Kiano's abilities that were inherited from his mom but I'm keeping that vague. It may become important later and I don't want to spoil the surprise. :)

Okay folks, one more chapter to go. T'Mana explains her part in all of this up next.

Thanks for reading and sticking through this less Spock inclusive story. The next story is more Spock focused and is about his adjustment to fatherhood while reflecting on his own childhood. Lots of Amanda, Sarek and wee Spock along with Nyota and T'Ura. I have no name for it so it may be a while in actually getting published.

Also, thanks for all of your feedback. I love your comments. :)


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I don't own Star Trek or any of its associated content.

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Nyota and Kiano had taken a break from their talk when T'Ura had started crying. Spock had brought her downstairs saying that she was in need of nourishment. Nyota took the time feeding the baby to look around the rooms that had been prepared by Kiano and to try to process some of the information she had been given. It was hard to believe that she'd never seen her father's blood, that her mother had never seen him bleed. In many ways it made sense. Kiano was famously young looking for his age. His eyes were not a standard Terran color. He seemed to anticipate everyone's needs and questions. He was a legendarily shrewd negotiator, which might have been helped by his Vulcan memory or intelligence. He beat Spock and Tyvoc at chess games frequently. Further, Nyota recalled that T'Mana always pronounced her father's name in Vulcan. K'Ano.

T'Mana was another part of the puzzle. Nyota trusted her father but also knew that he had his secrets. Nyota would have never assumed that he had been born on Vulcanis but she was not surprised that he had a mysterious history. It was just who he was. Part of what made Kiano Uhura Kiano Uhura was that there was something lurking in the past. T'Mana, on the other hand, had always been forthright and truthful. What really hurt Nyota was that T'Mana had kept things from her. T'Mana never had time for secrets, except for one so big that it changed everything. Nyota went over it in her mind. There were so many opportunities for T'Mana to have told her. It would have been particularly prudent for T'Mana to have mentioned it when she got pregnant, for instance.

"Is she here K'Ano?" Nyota heard T'Mana's voice drift up the stairs toward her.

Spock was unpacking while Sarek was inspecting the baby furniture and commenting on its adequacy. T'Ura had fallen asleep at her mother's breast while Nyota contemplated everything she heard today. Suddenly, Nyota was tense. She wasn't sure she wanted to see T'Mana today. Ultimately, however, Nyota decided it was silly to avoid her. T'Mana would desperately want to see the baby and talk to Nyota too. After all, they were family. Literally.

Nyota put T'Ura down in the crib once it had been thoroughly inspected by Sarek and Spock accompanied Nyota downstairs. Sensing Nyota's nervousness, Spock took her hand squeezed it tightly. By the time that Nyota and Spock descended, T'Mana was no where to be seen. Nyota exhaled and slowly craned her neck around the wall adjacent to the steps. She saw that her father and T'Mana were deep in conversation. When Nyota cleared her throat, both stopped and looked up. Nyota imagined that they looked like criminals who'd been caught.

"Child." T'Mana said softly. "I have ascertained that there is much to discuss."

Nyota raised her eyebrows at T'Mana's comment, somewhat overwhelmed at the understatement. Nyota pushed down her sense of dread and followed T'Mana and Kiano, the people who had raised her, into the living room. Spock followed her. He too was interested in T'Mana's explanation for deception. He could excuse it in Kiano because, after all, he was partially Human. Spock had to deal with his Human shortcomings as well and felt a certain amount of empathy for Kiano. T'Mana on the other hand, in Spock's opinion, should be held to higher standards. Spock could feel Nyota's uneasiness floating through their bond and the corners of this mouth twitched down. He did not approve of anyone making Nyota feel out of place or confused.

"So Nyota, do you want to pick up where we left off?" Kiano asked tentatively.

"I guess. I was just curious about one thing but..." Nyota shrugged. "I don't know if it is particularly relevant, especially when I have no idea _why _this has all been kept a secret. I don't understand the lying. Not just from you but from everyone I've known. I know you weren't born in 2195. I know Kioni Uhura isn't your mother." Nyota shook her head. "And since I'm on the topic, that's what I want to know. Why don't you ever refer to T'Ura as your mother? And how did you end up here?"

"You're right. You need to know why." Kiano looked at T'Mana. "And I'll try to answer as best I can Ny but please know that all of this... secrecy... it wasn't done with the intention of keeping you or Basim in the dark. It was contemplated before you were even born. Before I'd even come to Earth for the first time."

"Indeed." T'Mana interjected. "Child, the actions that had been undertaken around K'Ano and his mother's lives were deemed most logical at the time. I regret..." T'Mana looked down. "I regret that I was unable to include you in those actions. I... failed. I failed to conceive of a manner to include you and your brother in a way that would not require the dismantling of so many other lives."

"Before we get into that," Kiano cut T'Mana off. "Allow me to answer your simpler questions first. At least I think they're simpler." Kiano attempted a smile but it faltered. "You're right. I was not born in 2195. That is when I first came to Earth a few years after my mother's death. I was thirty."

"So you were born subsequent to your father's return to Earth?" Spock asked.

"That's right. He didn't know that T'Ura had become pregnant until much later. Tyvoc struggled with whether to tell him for years. Tyvoc thought he was betraying his first true friend by keeping it secret and breaking a promise to his niece by telling. T'Ura thought that it might be too disruptive for him, especially after the way that they had been separated. By the time that all of the commotion had died down, she'd had me and she had settled on Vulcanis, he'd already married Kioni and they were expecting my older brother. T'Ura decided it would be most logical to keep that family intact instead of having two broken, strained ones."

"God. That seems so unfair. I can't imagine not having Spock in our daughter's life. I can't imagine what my life would have been without you." Nyota looked closed her eyes at the thought of being alone with her own mother for an entire lifetime.

"At the time the logic seemed sound." T'Mana whispered while staring at her hands. "Charles had endured so much cruelty at the hands of others on our world. He was gifted, logical, practical yet Human. I do not believe that he had the emotional fortitude or control to continue in the face of those prejudices. T'Ura wished to spare him from further damage." T'Mana looked over at Nyota who was seated, legs folded, next to Spock on the couch, their hands intertwined. "Much of what I disapproved of about your father, Spock, was that he did not bear such considerations for your mother who only escaped the level of torment that Charles received due to Sarek's position. I knew what could happen to you and your mother if Sarek ever lost prestige and I found it intolerable that he made no account for such possibility."

Spock shifted a bit at T'Mana's statement but had known that it was true for some time. He'd simply had no idea of the experiences that had formed T'Mana's perspective. It made sense though, because Kiano was actually the exact same age as Spock's father. Spock and Nyota listened as Kiano and T'Mana took turns explaining the circumstances around Charles' removal from Vulcan and from T'Ura's side. T'Ura's mother had, once she found out about Charles, sought to have her daughter institutionalized. She had asserted that the stress of her abilities and of the war had impaired T'Ura's ability to think rationally and that this failing was evidenced by her intimate association with a Human. A full trial had been convened to pick apart T'Ura's life, her relationships, her performance during the war and the strength of her mind.

T'Mana and her bond mate had been forbidden from participating in the proceedings and the trial went on for a months, T'Ura's credibility and intelligence being diminished in the eyes of the council. It was a relatively quiet trial in most senses; however, many who had sought to undermine the authority of the Ashv'cezh clan seized the opportunity to use T'Ura's relationship with Charles as evidence that T'Mana's clan would encourage alien fraternization and diminish Vulcan. After all, T'Mana and Visec had been among the strongest voices in favor of Vulcan joining the Earth-Romulus war. T'Ura, who had not been as well trained in the arts of emotional repression due to her focus on controlling her gift, eventually lost her hard won control. And it was then that the council ruled in favor of T'Phen. Watching T'Ura deteriorate and watching the cruel manner in which she was destroyed made Charles a bit mad himself.

T'Mana explained that, in a way, it was a relief. She told Spock and Nyota that with a decision made, she was finally able to act. She immediately filed for her clan to be the guardian of T'Ura instead of her mother, asserting that the clan had more resources. It took much time, but T'Mana and Visec were finally successful. In the interim T'Ura had been subjected to psychological treatments that largely stripped her of and dulled her abilities. She lost her unique telepathic bond to Charles to the extent that he had no idea if she were even still alive. T'Ura had hidden her pregnancy from her mother and the council because she was sure that they would force an abortion as logical action.

The place that Charles had been quietly letting with T'Ura in Raal forced him out and no place in Shi'Kahr would take him. He ended up living with T'Mana but he was only safe within her walls. The city had other plans. Charles had been the victim of several anonymous physical attacks during the trial. None of the attacks were investigated and they were quickly swept under the rug. When T'Mana had finally been able to gain access to T'Ura as leader of their clan, Visec had discretely arranged for Charles to see T'Ura. At that time T'Ura was a shell of her former self. Charles could not even recognize her. She was no longer the girl who had come fully into his mind during the climax of the war to assist him in his search for ships and turned the tide in favor of the alliance against the Romulans, who had come to him in dreams every night as a beacon of hope and love.

When he attempted to reopen their bond, he failed. T'Ura used the last of her strength to keep him out and she told him that he needed to leave Vulcan. He resisted for months but T'Ura refused him any access, maintaining a position that it was most logical for him to move on without her. T'Ura thought that, one day, Charles would be hurt over their relationship or worse, he might access the true potential of his ability and hurt someone else, damning himself to a fate he did not deserve. Eventually, agreeing with T'Ura's logic, Visec contacted Charles' father to collect him. Charles fought but ultimately, he had been worn down and Charles returned to Earth, broken.

Finally, T'Mana explained that once Charles was gone, T'Phen became less concerned about what she perceived as a slip into insanity. T'Mana became the sole guardian and was able to help T'Ura keep her pregnancy secret. Visec arranged for T'Ura to maintain a ghost position within his agency while she settled on the Vulcanis Lunar colony. T'Mana offered her a large stipend and went to Vulcanis to help her settle in. T'Mana was also pregnant at the time and was able to become close to T'Ura. When T'Mana suggested that they notify Charles of the existence of the baby T'Ura refused and made T'Mana promise to never tell anyone, not even other members of their clan. T'Ura was afraid that her mother might try to take her son, the last reminder she had of her bond mate. She was terrified, with good reason, that her son would grow up isolated in the manner that she had, only worse.

When T'Mana finished speaking, Nyota looked at her. Nyota had not absorbed the information fully but she somehow was not surprised at T'Mana's role in everything. T'Mana had made a life of service and caring for everyone, including those who were unpopular. Nyota tried to imagine being alone on a strange planet while her lover was picked apart. She thought that T'Mana's fierce eyes and looming height would at least be comforting.

"Child, I apologize for my irrational demeanor when we spoke of T'Ura." T'Mana looked Nyota in the eye. "I was unprepared for your inquires but that was no excuse. T'Ura has been gone for many years but I still carry my promise to her in my katra. It is difficult for me to forget a promise, even when it is someone as cherished as you asking that it be broken."

"I... think I understand." Nyota pursed her lips. "I think I understand most of it. I understand how they came together. I understand how they were torn apart. I understand why T'Ura didn't want Charles to know. I understand why baba went to live on Vulcan." Nyota looked at her father again. "What I don't understand is how you came to meet your father, and why construct some new identity? Why not just say your mother was Vulcan?"

"After T'Ura died I wasn't sure what to do. She never asked me to promise to not tell my father but I'd heard her ask the same of others. It took me five years to gather the courage to travel to Earth. Later, of course, I found out that Visec had gone to Earth and told my mother and father. They knew about me and decided to respect T'Ura's decision. They knew I'd come, eventually, when I was ready. Kioni never reacted in the way that I would have expected. In all of the years that I debated going, I was sure she would hate me but she knew all about my father's relationship and trials on Vulcan. My father said that Kioni's kindness was what rewarmed his heart to people again. He'd lost so much faith during the war and afterward. Kioni renewed his spirit." Kiano looked at his daughter. "Kioni was my mom Ny. T'Ura was my ko-mekh. But the woman who welcomed me with open arms and never once had an ounce of bitterness, the one who held me when my first girlfriend left me? That was Kioni. She was the one who learned to make me laugh for the first time and she was the person who first comforted me. Ny, I never felt like I fit in on Vulcan." Kiano glanced at Spock for a long moment. "T'Mana, as you know, is an amazing mother, but she's not Human. That's not a flaw by any means, but from infancy I had all the Human needs that my Vulcan family simply had no way to fulfill. Kioni met those needs in me. She taught me about feeling emotion. She taught me how to love others and to receive love. She taught me to be Human."

Kiano explained that when he first arrived at his father's house that Kioni was there with Tyvoc. Kiano had given them no notice but when Kioni opened the door she smiled and told him that they had been expecting him. Visec, since he had made no promise to T'Ura, had secretly been sending photos and progress reports to his younger brother throughout Kiano's life with the intent that he share them with Charles. Kiano told Nyota that he had felt welcome in T'Mana's home but he never felt like he _belonged. _Meeting Kioni, and later Charles, felt like he had finally come _home_. Charles and his wife had written letters for years after they found out about Kiano, but kept them. They gave all of this correspondence to him to read as they welcomed him into their home. The family quickly bonded, Tyvoc included. Tyvoc felt that he had let his niece down and that if nothing else, he could look out for her son.

After a few months, the Uhuras adult children began asking questions about Kiano. Kioni and Charles never mentioned Charles' older son because they were never when he would appear. While everyone else fretted about what to tell the children and the family, Kioni had a solution. She said that Kiano's life with them was a new start. Kiano had a Vulcan birth record that had been hidden at T'Ura's request by Visec and T'Mana. Kiano decided that he would, for the first time, embark on a Human life. Kiano explained that over the years with Charles and Kioni that his identity as Human never came into question. The children understood that Kiano was a product of another relationship and accepted it as long as their mother did. People who weren't as close to the Uhuras never questioned that Kiano was the child of Charles and Kioni. Everyone assumed that he was the youngest of the Uhura children.

When it actually became time for him to register himself with the United Earth government, Kioni officially adopted him, indicating that his date of birth was the day that he walked into her kitchen decades before. It was more logical, from Kiano's perspective, to go with Kioni's plan than against it since he was aging so slowly and it would be easier to function on Earth without having to explain why he only looked a fraction of his age. Kiano felt free for the first time, like he had really been given a second chance at life where his mother's life had stopped. He loved his mom, he loved his father. His siblings were getting used to him and there was so much to explore.

Kiano told Nyota that he traveled Earth informally and studied for years, relishing the interactions that he had with so many different people. He was fascinated by Terran culture and that fascination spread to other planets and cultures. Kiano excelled easily at his studies and had a knack for making people comfortable, something he attributed to Kioni. It wasn't until Kioni began to age that things started changing and Kiano truly had to think about how he would explain himself going forward.

Kioni constantly reminded Kiano that he was her son. She made him promise that she would never forget their bond, that she would always be his mother. For years Kiano nodded obligingly and tended to Kioni's needs as Charles, who had become frail, was unable to. When Charles died suddenly it shocked Kiano. In his mind he was still on Vulcan time. He felt like he had just begun to know his father and thirty years was simply not enough time. He drew closer to Kioni and he decided that he would never break his promise to her. He would always be her son. His whole life on Vulcanis seemed faint and far away.

Kiano took a job at a local university in Nairobi to care for Kioni during her declining years. When she died, he hadn't seen any Vulcans, other than Tyvoc, for decades and it never occurred to him to return then. While Kiano allowed himself to grieve, he traveled more and finally, another decade later, ended up in Egypt. It wasn't until he decided to marry that he started thinking about his former life again and that it would be a good idea to reconnect T'Mana who, after all, was one of the only people living that knew of his true origins. It wasn't until Nyota started dating Spock that Kiano started to seriously consider revealing the part of himself that he buried so long ago beneath his new life. He never did because he never knew how to. It was too far away and too unbelievable in his mind. Even he doubted the first few decades of his life were true.

For the next weeks Nyota thought about everything she'd learned. She believed her father when he told her that he had become so immersed in his new Human life that it became more and more difficult to admit the truth. Although he didn't say much about it, his beginnings had to be difficult and she understood, on an emotional level, clinging to the warm, fulfilling life that he'd developed on Earth. She wasn't really angry; after all, all of her family members had their reasons for keeping their secrets and intellectually, she couldn't really judge them without having been there. Still, there was a certain distance that had not been there before.

Nyota was happy to know that her childhood visions of Kioni and Charles hadn't been off of the mark. She was proud to think that Kioni would have loved her just as much as she had loved Kiano. She was pleased to know that T'Ura cared for Charles enough to want to spare him the grief that he would have encountered if he had tried to stay; for Nyota, it showed that T'Ura was kind, loving and devoted in her own way, despite her challenges.

When Nyota saw Tyvoc a few weeks later, he seemed reticent but she simply thrust herself into his arms. She had never known what a large role he had played in the story of her life. She took comfort in the fact that in his interactions with her and her brother, he was able to have some peace around the loss of his own children and the suffering of his niece. Chocolate habit or not, Tyvoc was a good man, dedicated and committed to family, chosen or not.

At one point, when T'Ura was just about eight weeks old, the house was full of family. Tyvoc, T'Mana, Basim, Kiano, Sarek and, of course, Nyota with Spock. Everyone passed the baby around, and snuggled her while they engaged in conversation. Spock played chess alternatively with Kiano, Tyvoc and Sarek while tensing his ears for any sign of discomfort on the part of T'Ura. Nyota listened as Basim updated T'Mana on his most recent assignment, exposing the corruption of officials on Kata IV. She looked up when T'Ura started to make noises that she recognized as cries of hunger in her grandfather's arms.

Sarek brought the baby to his shoulder, gently patting her back and rocking her as he walked toward Nyota. Nyota was struck by the resemblance between Sarek and his granddaughter as he handed the baby over. Nyota always thought that T'Ura was gorgeous. In fact, she could have spent many a happy hour just looking at her and marveling in how perfect she was. From her tiny fingers to her chubby little legs, Nyota could find no fault; however, looking between Sarek and the baby, and then scanning the room, for the first time she saw all of her loved ones in the face of her daughter. It was not simply the physical resemblance between little T'Ura and Tyvoc, Sarek or Kiano but a grander imprint on the little girl. Without the people in the room with her, there would be no T'Ura. Really, there would be no Spock or Nyota either.

As Nyota unbuttoned her shirt to feed the baby, she considered whether she would have had such an epiphany if she hadn't learned about her grandfather. Indeed, she wondered if, without the choices that Kiano had made, she would be in such a happy position at all. If Kiano had told people that he was partially Vulcan, Nyota was fairly sure she wouldn't be here. She thought of how hard it was for Spock, who actually retained Vulcan features, to find love and friendship on either planet. Kiano probably did not stand a chance.

As T'Ura began to latch, Nyota leaned back against the couch and pulled her legs under herself. Yes, she acknowledged that there was a long way to go to get to a place where she could look at T'Mana and Kiano, Tyvoc even, and feel fully comfortable with them again; however, as she listened to the thrum of voices of her family rise and fall she felt content. Sarek replaced Spock against Kiano and Spock came to sit with Nyota. Their small family amongst their larger family somehow felt right and for now, that was the only thing she cared about.

* * *

Author's note: YAY! Another story done. Thanks to the invaluable ayachan1412 for her patience and insight while beta reading. And thanks to all of you for reading this story!

I've gotten a few questions re: how Kiano could be produced sans fertility help-- without going into the genetics that I've contemplated extensively (ay de mi, I read more Mendel this month than I did in all of my schooling)-- I'm operating under the Sargon theory of ST-- where Romulans, Vulcans and Humans are all descendants of the same race and evolved independently on their own planets, which led me to theorize about Vulcans/Humans being more like intra-specific or interspecific hybrids (grizzly bears and kodiaks might be considered intra-specific hybrids while polar bears and grizzly bears might be considered interspecific-- but I'm lousy at taxonomy, so don't take my word for the actual animals used in these examples) versus say, interordinal hybrids (a polar bear and a tiger, although COOL, would be improbable to produce offspring under any circumstances). Although it may have not been contemplated in the way I wrote about it, I think that I can draw support from MA on the topic. MA quote re: Vulcans/Human: Genetically, Vulcans and Humans are similar enough that they can produce offspring without any problems.

So that's all. I hope you liked it even if many of you picked up where I was going a while ago. Ayachan1412 pointed out the yayness of Nyota aging more slowly and getting a longer life with Spock, so that's something that might be neat to play with later.

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm in with a Spock-centric adjustment to parenthood story. I can't think of a name, so as soon as that comes through, I hope you stick around and read it.


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